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PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


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PRESENTED  BY 

THE  PRESBYTERIAN  BOARD  OF  PUBLICATION 


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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2015 


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https://archive.org/details/voyagestofromcapOOcamp 


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VOYAGES 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE 


A JOURNEY  INTO  THE  INTERIOR  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 


BY  THE 

rev.  john  Campbell. 


INTENDED  FOR  THE  YOUNG. 


FIRST  AMERICAN  EDITION 


PHILADELPHIA: 

PRESBYTERIAN  BOARD  OF  PUBLICATION. 

JAMES  RUSSELL,  PUBLISHING  AGENT. 

1840. 


PHILADELPHIA: 


WILLIAM  S.  MARTI  F.N,  TR INTER. 


CONTENTS. 

PART  I. 

Page 

A VOYAGE  TO  THE  CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE 5 

PART  II. 

CAPE  TOWN  68 

PART  III. 

JOURNEY  TO  PACAETSDORF  AND  BETHELSDORP  ....  96 

PART  IV. 

PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP 122 

PART  V. 

VOYAGE  FROM  THE  CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE  TO  ENGLAND  . . 247 


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VOYAGE 


TO  AND  FROM 

THE  CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE. 


PART  I. 

A VOYAGE  TO  THE  CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE. 

We  left  London,  November  10,  1S18,  for 
Liverpool.  We  remained  there  until  the 
morning  of  the  18th,  when,  at  ten  a.  m.,  we 
received  an  order  to  repair  on  board  our  ship, 
which  was  the  Westmoreland,  Captain  Cree- 
ry,  bound  for  Bombay.  She  sailed,  about 
three  p.  m.,  out  of  harbour,  and  along  the 
Welsh  coast  towards  Holyhead. 

We  had  no  sooner  passed  Holyhead,  on 
the  19th,  into  the  open  Irish  Channel,  than 
we  found  the  wind  directly  opposed  to  our 
progress  down  the  channel,  which  obliged  us 
to  tack,  or  cross  between  the  Welsh  and  Irish 
coasts  for  many  days. 

For  the  first  five  days,  we  only  advanced, 
about  twenty  miles  beyond  Holyhead,  so  ad- 
verse were  the  winds.  On  the  evening  of 
the  24th,  the  wind  changed  to  a favourable 
quarter. 


2 


6 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


On  the  25th,  the  fair  wind  which  so  cheer- 
ed us,  died  away  about  four  o’clock  in  the 
morning,  and  was  succeeded  by  one  which 
blew  directly  contrary  to  our  desired  course. 
At  one  p.  m.,  or  after  mid-day,  we  had  to 
encounter  a gale  of  wind,  which  blew  with 
great  fury.  While  most  of  us  were  on  deck, 
a vast  wave  poured  forth  its  contents  from 
one  end  of  the  ship  to  the  other,  so  that  not 
one  escaped  without  being  drenched  with 
water.  A sheep  and  several  of  our  fowls 
died,  from  the  violent  tossing  and  tumbling 
of  the  ship,  and  the  severity  of  the  weather. 

This  long  detention  in  the  Irish  Channel, 
we  thought,  might  be  designed  by  Providence 
as  a preventive  of  some  greater  evil  which 
might  have  befallen  us,  had  we  got  faster 
forward.  At  any  rate,  as  “ it  is  good  for  a 
man  to  bear  the  yoke,”  or  suffer  trials,  “ in 
his  youth,”  so  we  thought  it  might  be  good 
for  us  to  endure  these  contrary  winds  in  the 
commencement  of  our  voyage,  rather  than  at 
the  middle,  or  near  its  termination.  How- 
ever all  were  anxious  to  remove  from  a 
northern  winter  as  fast  as  possible. 

One  of  our  tame  geese,  observing  some 
wild  ones  fly  over  the  ship,  instantly  flew 
after  them,  but  soon  lighted  on  the  water,  and 
very  probably  perished  before  it  could  reach 
the  land.  He  had  better  have  been  contented 
with  his  situation,  and  remained  on  board 
the  ship;  he  might  thereby  have  enjoyed 
life  a few  weeks  longer;  but  he  could  not  re- 


CAPE  OP  GOOD  HOPE. 


7 


frain  from  following  the  company  of  those 
who  led  him  to  ruin : in  this  respect  he  was 
too  much  like  many  giddy  youths. 

By  persevering  in  tacking,  we  reached  the 
mouth  of  the  channel,  and  got  into  the  open 
sea  by  the  29th.  Being  the  Lord’s  day,  we 
had  worship  on  the  quarter-deck;  a practice 
which  was  continued  during  the  voyage. 

December  1.  The  south-west  wind,  which 
had  resisted  our  progress  for  a fortnight,  was 
caused,  by  the  Ruler  of  winds  and  waves,  to 
give  way  to  a north-west  gale,  which  kindly 
drove  us  on,  in  our  right  course,  at  the  rate  of 
eight  or  nine  miles  an  hour.  Upon  this  favour- 
able change  all  commended  the  captain,  for  his 
perseverance  in  beating  up  so  long  against  a 
south-westerly  wind,  instead  of  returning  to 
port,  and  some  of  us  talked  of  soon  seeing 
the  flying  fishes — a sign  of  more  moderate 
climes. 

December  2.  The  fair  wind,  which  had 
afforded  so  much  sincere  satisfaction  the  pre- 
ceding evening,  began  about  eleven  o’clock 
to  decrease,  and  continued  to  do  so  till  about 
five  in  the  morning,  when  it  entirely  died 
away,  and  was  succeeded  by  our  old  adverse 
south-west  wind;  however,  we  had  been  car- 
ried forward  about  ninety  miles  by  it,  for 
which  we  felt  thankful,  and  hoped  to  be  able 
to  wait  patiently  till  God  should  be  pleased 
to  restore  it  to  us.  We  knew,  also,  that  the 
wind,  which  was  so  adverse  to  us,  was  highly 
favourable  to  ships  returning  from  long  voy- 


8 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


ages,  wherefore  we  ought  not  to  grudge 
their  crews  so  favourable  a gale. 

About  noon,  this  gale  blew  with  consider- 
able violence.  When  looking  at  the  main- 
mast, the  captain  happened  to  observe  puffs 
of  dust,  like  sand,  proceeding  from  a small 
hole,  about  twelve  feet  from  the  deck.  On 
ordering  the  carpenter  to  examine  it,  he  de- 
clared the  mast  to  be  rotten  to  the  heart.  Sad 
intelligence  indeed  to  us  all!  On  calling  a 
meeting  of  the  officers,  it  was  resolved  that 
we  should  return  to  Liverpool  for  a new 
mast,  to  the  sincere  regret  of  all:  but  there 
was  no  alternative,  as  no  sailor  would  ven- 
ture to  mount  it  in  a storm,  after  knowing  it 
was  decayed;  or  should  it  come  down,  when 
some  thousand  miles  from  a port,  we  should 
have  been  placed  in  a painful  predicament. 
The  ship’s  helm  was  therefore  ordered  about, 
and  the  bow  to  point  in  the  direction  of  Li- 
verpool. 

December  3.  In  the  morning  we  entered 
the  Irish,  or  St.  George’s  Channel.  The  cap- 
tain, on  examining  his  chart,  found  that  while 
we  had  been  working  out  of  the  channel,  for 
the  two  weeks,  we  had  crossed  between 
England  and  Ireland  sixty  times. 

December  4.  Before  sunrise  we  got  round 
Holyhead,  and  expected  to  reach  Liverpool 
to  dinner.  When  opposite  Scarry  lighthouse 
we  hung  out  a torch,  as  a signal  for  a pilot, 
but  none  came.  At  ten  a.  m.  the  wind 
chopped  round  to  the  eastward,  blowing  di- 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE. 


y 


rectly  against  our  approach  to  the  harbour. 
A pilot  came  on  board  at  noon,  who  informed 
us  of  the  death  of  our  aged  queen,  and  the 
consequent  general  mourning.  The  wind 
dying  away,  we  remained  nearly  in  the  same 
position  the  whole  day,  and  likewise  the  suc- 
ceeding night,  which  rather  disappointed  us, 
as  we  were  very  desirous  to  spend  the  sab- 
bath, which  was  the  next  day,  among  our 
friends  at  Liverpool.  Bnt  God,  mercifully, 
at  noon  caused  a fair  wind  to  spring  up  in  the 
west,  which  carried  us  forward  so  swiftly, 
that  we  arrived  in  the  river,  opposite  Liver- 
pool, about  five  o’clock  in  the  evening  of  Sa- 
turday, but  we  did  not  go  ashore  to  disturb 
our  friends  at  an  unseasonable  hour.  On  the 
morning  of  the  Lord’s  day,  at  ten  o’clock, 
we  walked  directly  to  the  chapel  of  Dr. 
Raffles,  where  our  friends  were  rather  sur- 
prised to  see  us,  having  concluded  we  were 
at  least  a thousand  miles  from  the  British 
shores.  I preached  in  the  morning,  and  in 
the  afternoon  addressed  a sermon  to  children, 
which  I had  engaged  to  do  previous  to  sail- 
ing, had  we  remained  another  sabbath.  My 
companions  in  travel,  Dr.  P.  and  Mr.  M., 
preached  in  other  places  in  the  town. 

On  Monday,  being  the  first  Monday  in 
the  month,  we  had  the  opportunity  of  uni- 
ting with  many  friends  of  missions,  in  their 
monthly  missionary  prayer  meeting,  which 
was  attended  by  about  fifteen  hundred  per- 
sons. 


10 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


By  Wednesday,  December  9,  in  conse- 
quence of  great  exertion,  our  ship  had  re- 
ceived a new  mast,  and  we  again  departed 
on  our  voyage;  but,  on  reaching  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  we  cast  anchor,  having  disco- 
vered that  the  carpenter  and  three  seamen 
were  on  shore,  without  whom  we  could  not 
proceed.  However,  next  morning,  all  being 
on  board,  we  set  sail  about  ten  o’clock,  with 
many  other  vessels.  The  day  was  fine  and 
the  wind  fair,  so  that  by  midnight  we  had 
again  got  round  Holyhead,  which  is  about 
seventy  miles  from  Liverpool,  and  glad  were 
we  to  observe  the  bow  of  our  vessel  again 
pointing  to  the  south. 

December  11.  In  the  morning  we  were 
delighted  to  hear  that  the  wind  had  con- 
tinued fair  and  strong  the  whole  night,  and 
that  we  were  opposite  the  Tuscar  light, 
which  was  as  far  as  we  had  advanced  during 
the  fortnight  after  our  first  departure.  As 
the  day  advanced,  the  wind  increased,  and 
drove  us  forward  in  our  course  from  seven 
to  nine  miles  an  hour,  so  that  by  midnight 
we  had  reached  the  point  from  whence  we 
had  returned  on  discovering  the  bad  state  of 
our  mast,  having  lost  exactly  nine  days  by 
our  return. 

December  13.  Spoke  a French  vessel, 
the  officers  of  which  came  to  inquire  the 
longitude  according  to  our  reckoning,  which 
our  captain  frankly  told  them.  How  dif- 
ferent is  a time  of  peace  from  a time  of  war ! 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE. 


11 


During  my  former  voyage  to  Africa,  every 
vessel  we  descried,  however  distant,  excited 
alarm,  lest  she  should  turn  out  to  be  an  ene- 
my; then  of  course  we  fled  from  her,  and 
she,  under  similar  apprehensions,  fled  from 
us;  but  now  we  sailed  in  a time  of  profound 
peace  over  all  the  world. 

At  noon  our  longitude  was  10  deg.  46  min. 
west  of  London,  and  a gale  of  wind  drove 
our  vessel,  though  with  few  sails  set,  ten 
knots,  or  miles,  per  hour,  which  mercy  we 
attributed  to  the  prayers  of  our  brethren  at 
home,  united  with  our  own;  believing  that 
the  winds  and  waves,  on  the  extended  and 
boisterous  ocean,  were  now  equally  under 
the  control  of  the  Almighty  Saviour,  as  they 
were  on  the  little  inland  Sea  of  Galilee,  in 
the  days  when  he  was  in  the  form  of  man 
upon  earth. 

We  moved  so  rapidly,  to  the  west,  as  well 
as  south,  that  our  watches,  which  went  ac- 
cording to  London  time,  became  all  wrong. 
The  air,  also,  became  increasingly  milder. 
During  the  night  of  the  17th,  the  wind  was 
contrary  for  a few  hours,  which  was  the  first 
time  since  leaving  Liverpool,  perhaps  to  re- 
mind us  of  the  value  of  the  blessing  we  were 
receiving;  for  a prosperous  wind  was  be- 
coming familiar  to  us,  and  less  noticed  and 
valued.  It  is  a melancholy  proof  of  human 
depravity,  that  the  commonness  and  abun- 
dance of  God’s  goodness,  should  lead  us  to 
forget  his  bounty  and  our  dependence. 


12 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


We  all  noticed  a daily  decrease  of  the 
length  of  our  shadows  on  the  deck,  a ^ure 
sign  of  our  rapid  approach  to  the  equator. 

December  19.  On  taking  observations 
from  the  sun,  it  was  found  that,  during  the 
former  twenty-four  hours,  we  had  sailed  two 
hundred  and  nine  miles,  and  that  we  were 
parallel  to  the  Canary  Islands.  Though  we 
had  a strong  breeze  of  wind,  it  was  pleasant 
to  sit  under  the  sun’s  genial  rays.  It  resem- 
bled a fine  April  day  in  England. 

December  20.  In  the  morning,  the  cap- 
tain ordered  the  awning  to  be  got  out,  and 
suspended  over  the  deck,  that  we  might  have 
worship  on  deck,  instead  of  the  cabin,  it 
being  the  Lord’s  day.  At  ten  a.  m.  we 
assembled  under  this  comfortable  canopy, 
shaded  from  the  sun,  whose  heat  now  began 
to  be  felt.  Two  Roman  Catholic  sailors 
attended  for  the  first  time,  because,  said  they, 
“ It  is  decent  to  attend  worship.”  At  noon, 
we  found  we  had  gone  two  hundred  and 
twelve  miles  in  the  twenty-four  hours,  so 
that  we  had  in  that  time  approached  three 
and  a half  degrees  nearer  the  sun,  which 
added  considerably  to  his  elevation  in  the 
heavens,  and  to  the  warmth. 

December  21.  Though  mid-winter  day, 
there  never  was  a finer  one  in  the  month  of 
June,  in  England,  than  this  was.  During 
the  fortnight  in  which  we  were  fighting  with 
wintry  winds,  in  the  Irish  Channel,  eighty 
of  our  fowls  and  ducks  died,  and  the  survi- 


CAPE  OP  GOOD  HOPE. 


13 


vors  looked  sickly;  but  since  coming  into 
warmer  weather,  all  the  fowls,  swine,  and 
sheep,  began  to  appear  healthy  and  lively. 
One  of  our  female  passengers  wrought  at 
her  needle-work  till  six  in  the  evening,  on 
deck,  with  sun-light,  on  mid-winter  day, 
which  to  her  was  a novel  occurrence.  Most 
of  us  remained  on  deck  to  a late  hour,  ad- 
miring the  glory  of  the  heavens,  sparkling 
with  innumerable  suns  and  worlds,  also  the 
vast  ocean  on  which  we  sailed,  and  grate- 
fully observing  the  friendly  exertions  of  a 
steady  wind  to  hasten  our  progress  towards 
the  end  of  our  voyage,  under  the  direction 
of  an  indulgent  God. 

December  22.  At  noon,  the  thermometer 
in  the  shade  was  at  70  degrees.  We  had 
sailed  during  the  last  fourteen  days,  two 
thousand  one  hundred  and  nine  miles,  being 
at  the  rate  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  per  day. 
Several  times  did  the  captain  remark,  as  we 
were  flying  before  the  wind,  “ We  are  high- 
ly favoured  in  our  voyage!”  as  indeed  we 
were.  \ 

Having  crossed  the  tropic  of  Cancer,  we 
expected,  as  a matter  of  course,  a fair  wind 
till  we  should  reach  the  equator,  distant  23§ 
degrees,  or  sixteen  hundred  and  twenty-one 
and  a half  miles,  counting  a degree  at  sixty- 
nine  miles.  The  north-east  is  the  regular 
trade  wind  in  the  north  tropic,  which  ma- 
riners generally  expect  should  blow  there, 
though  sometimes  it  shifts  to  other  quarters, 


14 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


as  it  happened  in  my  own  case,  in  my  last 
voyage.  From  the  steadiness  of  the  wind  in 
these  latitudes,  the  seamen  have  compara- 
tively little  to  do,  the  sails  seldom  requiring 
alteration,  except  in  occasional  tornadoes,  or 
gusts  of  wind;  therefore  they  employ  their 
leisure  in  repairing  sails,  washing,  and  mend- 
ing their  own  clothes.  But,  in  the  afternoon, 
we  had  an  instance  of  the  wind  changing 
within  the  tropics;  for,  after  a considerable 
fall  of  rain,  it  shifted  from  n.e.  to  s.e.,  which, 
though  not  so  fair  as  the  former,  did  not  pre- 
vent us  from  nearly  keeping  our  course  to 
St.  Antonio,  the  most  westerly  of  the  Cape 
de  Verd  Islands. 

The  setting  sun,  in  a tropical  climate,  is 
peculiarly  beautiful;  this  evening  it  was  ex- 
tremely so.  The  delicate  hues  in  the  western 
sky  attracted  every  eye  towards  them.  Where 
the  sun  had  gone  down,  it  was  blood  red; 
from  thence,  in  both  directions  along  the  ho- 
rizon, the  red  gradually  sunk  into  yellow, 
and  that  yellow  into  a beautiful  green,  which 
formed  a back  ground  to  the  apparent  moun- 
tains, towers,  cathedrals,  etc.,  which  the  wes- 
tern clouds  seemed  to  resemble.  This  de- 
lightful exhibition  did  not  vanish  from  our 
view,  like  the  forked  lightning,  which  some- 
times astonishes  by  its  momentary  appear- 
ance, but  remained  in  its  full  grandeur  for 
about  twenty  minutes;  after  which  it  did  not 
disappear  suddenly,  like  a meteor,  but  so 
gradually,  that  it  was  impossible  to  tell  the 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE. 


15 


precise  time  when  it  terminated.  I was 
thankful  for  having  eyes  to  behold  so  won- 
derful a display  of  the  Creator’s  wisdom  and 
power,  which  tended  to  give  exalted  views 
of  both.  Perhaps  there  were  not  a hundred 
eyes  which  had  the  opportunity  of  witness- 
ing the  same  scene  in  that  part  of  the  ocean. 

While  walking  the  deck,  two  hours  be- 
fore midnight,  when  all  the  elements  were  at 
rest,  a black  cloud  suddenly  arose  to  wind- 
ward of  the  ship,  which  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  all;  and  while  disputing  whether  it 
contained  wind  or  rain,  both  burst  from  it, 
which  obliged  the  seamen  hastily  to  take  in 
sail,  and  made  us  flee  to  our  cabins.  So  sud- 
den are  the  changes  within  the  tropics,  re- 
quiring the  utmost  attention  and  watchful- 
ness of  those  who  command  the  watch  on 
deck.  In  ten  minutes  the  cloud  was  past, 
and  our  former  tranquillity  restored. 

The  luminous  matter  in  the  water,  which 
generally  surrounds  ships  sailing  in  these  lati- 
tudes, increased  as  we  advanced  southward; 
it  forms  a source  of  great  entertainment  to 
those  on  the  water,  who  have  but  few  ob- 
jects to  behold, compared  with  those  who  are 
on  land. 

December  23.  After  breakfast,  two  flying 
fishes  rose  from  the  water,  which  were  the 
first  we  had  seen,  though  they  are  seen  much 
farther  to  the  north  when  it  is  summer. 
North  of  the  equator,  one  came  on  board  at 
the  bow. 


16 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


December  25.  About  eleven  a.  m.,  we  were 
nearly  becalmed,  for  the  first  time  since  leav- 
ing England;  we  therefore  resolved  to  make 
some  experiments  by  sinking  bottles  in  the 
sea.  An  empty  wine  bottle  was  well  corked, 
and  a sail  needle  put  through  the  upper  part 
of  the  cork,  resting  on  the  mouth  of  the  bot- 
tle; sail  cloth  was  then  wrapped  over  the 
head  of  the  bottle,  and  firmly  tied  round  the 
neck  of  it,  part  of  the  cord  being  fastened 
round  the  needle  at  both  ends.  The  bottle, 
in  this  state,  was  sunk  to  seventy  fathoms  in 
the  water.  On  being  drawn  up,  it  was  found 
to  be  two-thirds  filled  with  water,  and  every 
thing  in  and  about  the  cork  in  the  same  order 
as  when  put  down.  On  tasting  the  water, 
it  tasted  quite  as  salt,  though  some  thought 
not  quite  so  salt,  as  the  ordinary  sea  water. 

Another  empty  bottle  was  firmly  corked, 
and  plastered  over  with  rosin,  and  sunk  two 
hundred  fathoms.  On  examining  it  when 
brought  up,  we  found  it  full  of  water,  with 
the  cork  firm,  but  inverted.  The  upper  end 
only  was  covered  with  red  wax,  which  end 
was  undermost  on  its  being  taken  up  from 
the  sea. 

At  noon,  we  were  to  the  westward  of  Bra- 
va, another  of  the  Cape  de  Yerd  Islands.  A 
poor,  but  beautiful  quail,  driven  from  the 
islands  by  the  wind,  through  extreme  fatigue, 
alighted  on  the  deck,  and  allowed  itself  to  be 
taken.  It  was  about  the  size,  colour,  and 
appearance  of  a thrush,  without  a tail.  When 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE. 


17 


afraid,  it  darted  upwards  against  the  roof  of 
the  cage  into  which  it  had  been  put.  This 
little  foreigner  was  viewed  by  all  with  con- 
siderable interest,  being  our  first  visiter  from 
shore,  since  our  departure  from  England; 
and  glad  should  we  have  been  to  have  had 
an  opportunity  of  restoring  him,  but  no  land 
was  in  sight. 

This  being  Christmas  day,  a large  pig  was 
slaughtered  for  a feast  to  the  seamen.  The 
sight  appeared  to  please  them  all,  as  they  did 
their  work  with  uncommon  spirit,  of  which 
they  had  plenty  from  the  state  of  the  weather. 

December  26.  It  blew  hard  all  night,  with 
a rolling  sea,  which  caused  the  death  of  a 
poor  goat.  We  have  made  more  than  a de- 
gree of  longitude  to  the  eastward,  to  enable 
us  to  cross  the  line  at  about  20  deg.  or  21 
deg.  of  western  longitude.  Thermometer,  in 
shade,  76.  For  the  first  time  flying  fishes 
have  appeared  frequently,  and  in  consider- 
able numbers.  Some  of  the  passengers  had 
been  fishing  all  day,  but  caught  nothing.  In 
the  forenoon  we  saw  the  beautiful  little  in- 
habitant of  the  deep,  called  by  the  sailors, 
the  Portuguese  man-of-war.  Saw  a vessel 
to  westward,  steering  as  if  bound  to  Brazil. 

December  27.  Blew  fresh  and  fair  the 
whole  night,  yet  little  rolling,  though  fre- 
quently going  nine  miles  an  hour;  nor  were 
we  at  all  disturbed  during  our  Sabbath  wor- 
ship on  deck.  Being  in  about  22  deg.  west 
longitude  of  London,  our  time  was  about  an 


18 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


hour  and  a half  later,  so  that  when  we  com- 
menced worship  at  ten  o’clock,  it  was  then 
half-past  eleven  in  London.  Thermometer 
76. 

For  two  days  we  had  been  sailing  oppo- 
site to  that  part  of  Africa  explored  by  the  late 
bold  and enterprizing  traveller, Mungo  Park; 
a country  ignorant,  barbarous,  and  miserable 
in  the  extreme:  than  which  no  part  of  the 
world  is  more  ignorant  of  God,  or  less  values 
human  life  or  human  liberty;  where  many 
have  lamented  their  inability  to  sell  each 
other  for  slaves  to  foreigners,  in  consequence 
of  the  abolition  of  that  horrid  traffic  by  Eng- 
land.* When  Christianity  and  civilization 
are  once  spread  over  that  benighted  region, 
they  will  hardly  be  able  to  credit  the  sav- 
age barbarity  that  existed  for  so  many  ages 
among  their  forefathers — tearing  fathers  from 
their  wives,  children, friends,  home,  and  coun- 
try for  ever,  and  selling  them  to  strangers,  to 
be  dragged  by  them  to  unknown  lands  and 
miseries;  merely  to  procure  a few  pints  of 
rum,  or  other  articles,  which  afforded  only  a 
little  gratification  for  a few  hours! 

The  sailors  readily  received  tracts,  and 
seemed  to  read  them  attentively. 

While  looking  over  the  lee  side  of  the  ship, 
about  ten  o’clock  at  night,  admiring  the  in- 
numerable particles  of  shining  matter  passing 
along,  I observed  several  porpoises  playing 

* Other  nations  continue  the  inhuman  traffic,  and  pain- 
ful to  say,  it  has  increased  of  late  years. 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE. 


19 


around,  perhaps  ten  and  twelve  feet  long. 
They  were  perfectly  visible  in  the  water, 
from  the  brilliancy  which  their  rapid  motion 
produced  around  their  bodies,  which  indeed 
afforded  sufficient  light  to  display  their  entire 
shape ; and  so  singular  was  their  appearance, 
that  they  resembled  fishes  composed  of  snow. 
Though  the  vessel  went  seven  miles  an  hour, 
they  swam  round  and  round  her  without  any 
great  exertion.  The  heavens  were  clear,  the 
air  mild,  and  the  sea  smooth. 

December  28.  At  ten  in  the  morning  we 
were  opposite  Sierra  Leone,  an  English  settle- 
ment designed  for  the  improvement  of  that 
part  of  Africa.  Thermometer  78. 

Nothing  could  surpass  the  delightfulness 
of  this  day:  It  was  not  oppressively  hot, 

though  the  heavens  were  without  a cloud. 
The  sea  was  smooth,  yet  the  gentle  breeze 
caused  the  ship  almost  imperceptibly  to  glide 
along  the  surface  of  the  water  at  the  rate  of 
seven  miles  an  hour.  The  beautiful  flying 
fishes*  were  moving  in  flocks  past  us,  and 

* The  ordinary  flying  fish  belongs  to  the  genus  Exocetus; 
there  arc,  however,  other  fishes  furnished  with  large  fan- 
like fins,  capable  of  taking  flying  leaps  out  of  the  water, 
belonging  to  a genus  ( Ductylopterus ) allied  to  our  common 
Gurnard. 

Flying  fishes  are  abundant  in  the  warmer  seas,  and  are 
the  food  of  the  dolphin  fish,  the  bonito,  and  the  albacore, 
which  force  them  to  spring  for  safety  out  of  their  native 
element,  and  sweep  on  quivering  fins  above  its  surface, 
exposed  to  the  attacks  of  various  birds  ever  on  the  watch 
to  pounce  upon  them  the  moment  they  appear.  Their 
flight  is  not  always  against  the  wind,  though  often  so  di- 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


The  Flying  Fish. 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE. 


21 


fishes  of  other  habits  jumping  up  to  catch 
them  in  their  flight.  Though  far  distant  from 
all  lands,  and  perhaps  from  all  other  ships, 
yet  our  solitary  situation  did  not  take  away 
from  our  enjoyment  of  the  surrounding  beau- 
ties. The  only  external  alloy  to  our  pleasure, 
was  the  possibility  of  our  meeting  a South 
American  privateer,  or  pirate;  as  such  ves- 
sels had  frequently  plundered,  and  sometimes 
captured,  the  ships  of  peaceful  nations. 

During  the  early  part  of  the  evening,  we 
had  much  lightning  to  the  east,  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Gulf  of  Guinea,  after  which  it  ap- 
peared in  the  west,  and  was  followed  by  a 
cloud,  spreading  itself  over  the  whole  hea- 
vens. The  north  polar  star  had  sunk  nearly 
to  the  horizon,  and  the  constellation  called 
the  Great  Bear  was  in  a similar  position, 
which  showed  that  we  were  near  the  equator. 

rected.  The  term  flight  is  perhaps  in  strictness  not  quite 
applicable  to  the  aerial  excursions  of  these  fishes;  for  it 
would  appear  that  their  expanded  fins  act  rather  the  part 
of  parachutes  than  of  wings.  Hence  their  aerial  excursion 
seldom  extends  beyond  two  hundred  yards  at  a stretch; 
but  the  height  to  which  they  rise  is  very  variable.  Mr. 
Bcnnet  says,  that  he  has  known  them  come  on  board  ship, 
at  a height  of  fourteen  feet  and  upwards  from  the  surface 
of  the  water  ; but  they  have  been  known  to  fall  on  board 
vessels  of  twenty,  or  even  twenty-five  feet  elevation.  The 
flying  fish  attains  its  greatest  altitude  by  the  spring  which 
propels  it  above  the  water ; from  this  altitude  it  declines 
as  it  sweeps  along  more  or  less  gradually ; it  is,  however, 
capable  of  turning  in  its  course,  and,  on  dropping  into  the 
water,  of  rising  again  almost  instantly,  so  as  to  keep  up  a 
succession  of  aerial  sweeps,  to  which  it  is  urged,  generally 
at  least,  by  the  unrelenting  pursuit  of  its  enemies. — Edit. 

3 


22 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


December  29.  Early  in  the  morning  it 
rained  very  heavily, attended  with  much  sheet 
lightning  and  loud  peals  of  thunder.  When 
the  rain  ceased,  we  had  forked  lightning  every 
two  minutes  At  eight  in  the  morning,  the 
thermometer  in  my  cabin  stood  at  80,  though 
my  little  window  was  open  all  night.  Ther- 
mometer, in  the  shade,  83. 

All  the  flocks  of  flying  fishes  which  I have 
seen,  have  flown  against  the  wind,  namely, 
from  south  to  north,  which  is  the  more  ex- 
traordinary, as  they  are  supposed  to  rise  in 
consequence  of  being  pursued  by  other  fishes. 
One  would  think  they  would  naturally  rise 
and  fly  in  the  same  direction  in  which  they 
were  chased.  No  doubt  they  are  met  and 
pursued  by  enemies  from  every  direction.* 

Our  rapid  approach  towards  the  sun  was 
very  evident,  from  the  daily  decreasing  of  the 
length  of  our  shadows  at  noon,  which,  of 
course,  must  continue  till  we  have  no  shadow 
at  all ; but,  after  passing  under  the  line  of  the 
equator,  where  the  sun  at  noon  will  be  over 
our  heads,  our  progress  will  appear  by  their 
daily  increase,  till  we  reach  our  destination. 

At  sunset  we  saw  a dragon-fly,  about 
three  inches  long,  flying  about  the  deck, 
which  must  have  had  a very  fatiguing  jour- 
ney in  accomplishing  the  visit,  as  the  nearest 
land  is  distant  four  hundred  and  eighty  miles; 
but  it  may  have  come  along  with  some  ship 

* [There  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  the  flight  of  the 
fish  is  more  for  amusement  than  from  necessity.] — Am.  Ed. 


CAPE  OP  GOOD  HOPE. 


23 


from  the  coast  of  Guinea,  at  least  part  of  the 
passage.  In  the  evening,  a black  gloomy 
cloud,  which  had  for  some  time  been  collect- 
ing in  the  east,  advanced  towards  us.  On  ar- 
riving above  our  heads,  it  sent  forth  the  most 
vivid  lightning,  attended  with  the  loudest 
thunder;  two  peals  of  which  produced  sev- 
eral explosions  resembling  the  firing  of  ar- 
tillery, and  were  followed  by  a heavy  fall  of 
rain. 

About  ten  at  night,  peals  of  thunder  were 
roaring  all  around;  the  lightning  flashing, 
and  the  rain  falling  in  such  copious  streams 
on  the  deck,  that  nothing  but  its  noise  could 
be  heard;  and,  except  when  it  lightened,  we 
were  wrapped  up  in  the  thickest  darkness, 
somewhat  emblematical  of  the  abodes  of 
misery  in  the  world  of  woe.  Thermometer, 
during  the  storm,  at  ten  p.  m.,  80.  At  the 
same  time  the  mate  informed  the  captain, 
that  the  wind  had  suddenly  chopped  round 
to  the  s.  e.,  which  is  the  regular  trade  wind 
in  the  southern  tropic,  but  often  encroaches 
several  degrees  on  the  north  side  of  the  line. 

December  30.  So  great  was  the  calm  dur- 
ing the  night,  that  we  had  only  advanced  ten 
miles.  A fine  breeze  sprung  up  about  half- 
past nine  a.  m.;  but  after  lending  its  aid  for 
half  an  hour,  it  forsook  us. 

Our  boats,  which  were  fastened  to  the 
stern  and  sides  of  the  ship,  had  six  inches  of 
water  in  them,  from  the  rain  of  the  prece- 
ding night.  Our  remaining  thirty-seven  ducks 


24 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


were  put  into  them.  They  had  for  six-weeks 
been  crowded  together  in  hencoops,  and 
were  covered  with  filth.  The  pleasure  they 
seemed  to  enjoy  on  regaining  their  liberty, 
and  swimming  in  the  element  they  love, 
was  excessive.  The  flapping  of  their  wings, 
their  hastily  washing  themselves,  and  push- 
ing each  other,  and  their  constant  vociferous 
quacking,  forced  every  beholder  to  be  a par- 
taker of  their  joy,  and  produced  a smile  of 
satisfaction  on  every  countenance.  They 
were  afterwards  humanely  permitted  to  en- 
joy their  liberty  on  a certain  part  of  the  deck, 
every  moment  of  which  time  was  employed 
in  hastily  dressing  their  injured  feathers. 
Thermometer  82. 

About  five  p.  m.,  a water  spout  appeared 
very  plainly  in  the  west,  ascending  to  a dense 
thunder  cloud,  which  soon  afterwards  poured 
down  torrents  of  rain,  and  sent  forth  also 
thunderings  and  lightnings. 

About  six  p.  m.  we  were  hailed  by  a brig 
which  had  been  following  us  from  sunrise. 
Instead  of  being  a Venezuelan  pirate,  as  our 
fears  suggested  it  might  be,  she  turned  out  to 
be  the  Dart,  of  London,  forty-five  days  from 
Newfoundland,  with  a cargo  of  fish  for  Ba- 
hia, on  the  coast  of  Brazil.  The  captain 
consenting  to  take  letters  to  the  post  office  at 
Bahia,  most  of  us  commenced  writing  to  our 
friends.  These  letters,  at  least  mine,  arrived 
safe  in  England  a few  months  after. 

December  31.  Loud  peals  of  thunder  and 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE. 


25 


heavy  rain  during  the  night.  On  going  upon 
deck,  I was  surprised  to  see  a solitary  but- 
terfly flying  about.  From  whence  it  came 
none  could  conjecture,  unless  from  the  cab- 
bages which  we  brought  from  England,  that 
hung  about  the  masts.  My  trunks  got  white 
with  mould  every  twenty-four  hours,  from 
the  dampness  of  the  atmosphere. 

Thermometer  85.  Thus  we  ended  the 
year  ISIS,  halfway  between  the  two  poles. 
At  midnight,  the  sailors  rung  the  bell  for 
about  half  an  hour,  which  so  alarmed  the 
sheep,  swine,  and  fowls,  that  they  made 
a hideous  noise. 

January  1,  1819.  Saw  dolphins,  for  the 
first  time  on  the  voyage,  playing  about  the 
ship.  In  the  forenoon,  some  of  the  men 
swam  from  the  bow  of  the  ship,  which  was 
rather  hazardous,  on  account  of  the  sharks; 
but  they  said  they  should  see  them  coming, 
and  would  get  into  the  ship.  Many  fishes, 
called  by  the  sailors  skip-jacks,  were  seen 
leaping  above  the  water,  either  for  amuse- 
ment, or  to  catch  the  passing  flying  fish. 

January  2.  We  spoke  a Portuguese,  and 
afterwards  a French  ship  from  the  Isle  of 
France. 

January  3.  In  the  morning  a dolphin*  was 

* The  dolphin  is  a name  given  by  sailors  to  a fish  of  the 
genus  Coryphcena  : it  must  not  be  confounded  with  the 
true  dolphin,  one  of  the  whale  tribe,  {cetacea,)  and  closely 
allied  to  our  porpoise. 

The  dolphin  fish,  {Coryphcena  hipparies,)  though  occa- 
sionally straying  into  the  seas  of  temperate  latitudes,  is 


26 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


caught  at  the  bow,  which  changed  colours 
when  in  the  agonies  of  death.  The  side  which 
was  uppermost,  while  lying  on  deck,  was  of 
varied  hues  of  green  and  yellow,  with  light 
blue  spots ; the  under  side  on  which  it  lay, 
was  all  white  like  any  ordinary  fish.  We 
were  becalmed  the  whole  day ; but  calms 
must  be  expected  near  the  line,  where  those 
who  cross  it  have  need  of  patience ; and  we 
were  comforted  by  the  belief  that  our  God 
and  friend  knew  our  situation,  and  that  his 
influence  extends  to  all  parts  of  his  sea,  as 
well  as  of  his  dry  land. 

January  5.  At  sunrise,  we  were  gratified 
to  see  hundreds  of  skip-jack  fishes*  leaping 

most  frequent  in  the  intertropics,  which  constitute  its  na- 
tural range  of  habitat.  It  is  one  of  the  most  brilliantly 
coloured  of  the  finny  tribes  of  the  ocean:  its  tints  above 
are  silvery  blue;  the  under  surface  is  yellow,  with  marks 
of  delicate  pale  blue;  but  the  colours  of  the  fish  appear 
ever  changing,  as  they  glow  with  the  metalic  hues  of  bur- 
nished gold  and  silver,  or  sparkle  like  gems  in  the  rays  of 
the  sun  It  is,  however,  only  while  living,  that  the  dol- 
phin presents  so  brilliant  a spectacle : when  taken  out  of 
the  water,  its  colours  fade,  change  from  one  tint  to  ano- 
ther, and  ultimately  vanish ; a dull  greyish  brown  re- 
maining in  their  stead.  The  dolphin  is  from  a yard  to  a 
yard  and  a half  in  length;  its  form  is  compressed  later- 
ally : the  dorsal  fin  commences  on  the  top  of  the  head, 
and  runs  along  the  whole  of  the  back,  supported  by  flexible 
rays.  It  is  an  unceasing  persecutor  of  the  flying  fish, 
and  its  movements  in  the  water  are  surprisingly  quick 
and  active. — Enir. 

* The  skip-jack,  skipper,  or  saury-pike  ( Scomberesox 
saurvs,)  is  very  abundant  in  the  warmer  latitudes,  and 
occasionally,  during  the  month  of  June,  visits  in  shoals 
our  shores.  It  is  eminently  gregarious,  herding  in  shoals 


Tho  Dolphin. 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE 


27 


28 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


above  water,  which  had  a fine  appearance, 
as  each  fish,  from  the  rays  of  the  sun,  seem- 
ed to  shine  as  if  composed  of  burnished  silver, 
from  twelve  to  twenty-four  inches  long,  and 
formed  an  arch  in  the  leap,  which  is  some- 
times extended  to  about  two  yards.  The 
flying  fishes  added  to  the  beauty  of  the 
scene,  by  rising  out  of  the  water  in  every 
direction. 

At  noon  our  latitude  was  2 deg.  47  min.  n. 
Thermometer  85.  At  four  p.  m.  a breeze 
sprung  up  from  s.  s.  e.,  which,  though  not 
very  favourable,  pleased  us  much,  as  it 
caused  motion  in  the  ship,  which  relieved 
us  from  the  dull  uniformity  of  our  situation 
during  the  past  week.  At  night  we  were 
frequently  amused  by  eight  or  ten  b.onitoes 
swimming  about  the  ship.  Their  backs  ap- 

of  thousands,  which  are  thinned  by  the  rapacity  of  the 
dolphin  and  bonito.  The  velocity  and  activity  cf  this  fish 
are  amazingly  great ; and  when  a shoal  (often  amounting 
to  twenty  thousand)  is  pursued  by  a troop  of  dolphins,  the 
assembled  multitude  may  be  seen  to  spring  out  of  the 
water,  crowded  together  in  a singular  manner,  and  upon 
falling  into  the  sea  again,  to  rush  along  its  surface  for 
more  than  a hundred  yards  without  dipping  beneath,  and 
scarcely  seeming  to  touch  the  water.  They  again  leap, 
and  falling,  again  continue  their  arrow-like  course.  The 
pursuit,  however,  is  all  the  time  regularly  kept  up,  and  in 
spite  of  all  their  efforts  multitudes  fall  a prey.  The  skip- 
per is  closely  related  to  our  well-known  gar-fish,  (Belone  ;) 
its  length  is  from  one  to  two  feet ; the  jaws  are  narrow 
and  elongated ; its  general  form  is  long,  slender,  and  com- 
pressed. The  head  and  back  are  of  a rich  dark  blue,  be- 
coming paler  and  passing  into  a greenish  tint  on  the  sides ; 
the  under  surface  is  silvery  white. — Edit. 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE. 


29 


peared  brown,  and  their  sides  luminous  like 
the  moon.  The  seamen,  during  the  day, 
caught  a dolphin,  in  whose  inside  was  found 
an  entire  gar-fish,  which  resembles  the  sword 
fish. 

January  6.  In  the  morning  we  had  a 
squall  of  wind,  after  which  we  had  the  re- 
gular s.  e.  tropical  wind,  though  we  were 
still  north  of  the  equator,  but  being  a stronger 
wind  than  that  which  prevails  in  the  north 
tropic,  it  is  often  met  with  two  or  three  de- 
grees north  of  the  equinoctial  line.  Thermo- 
meter 79.  The  sun  set  with  peculiar  splen- 
dour, having  a regular  glory  issuing  from  it, 
such  as  is  frequently  seen  in  paintings  of  the 
rising  and  setting  sun,  which  I do  not  re- 
member ever  having  seen  realized  in  nature 
before. 

January  7.  The  rain  descended  in  such 
torrents,  from  three  to  four  o’clock  in  the 
morning,  that  its  violent  dashing  against  the 
deck  awoke  most  of  us  from  a sound  sleep. 
Latitude  fifty-nine  miles  n.  of  the  equator. 
Thermometer  79.  In  the  evening  we  were 
greatly  gratified  by  the  immense  number  of 
fishes  accompanying  the  vessel  on  both  sides, 
which  were  distinctly  seen,  from  their  lumi- 
nous appearance,  though  ten  or  twelve  feet 
below  the  surface  of  the  water. 

Expecting  to  cross  the  line  in  the  morn- 
ing, the  men  were  busy  preparing  for  the 
usual  ceremony  of  shaving  and  ducking.  A 
man  was  stationed  at  the  foremast  head 
4 


30 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


during  the  afternoon,  pretending  to  be  look- 
ing out  for  the  arrival  of  Neptune,  the  sup- 
posed heathen  god  of  the  sea.  He  called 
out  that  a boat  was  a-head,  on  which  the 
sailors  all  ran  to  the  bow  to  look  for  it,  but 
they  declared  that  the  looker  out  was  mis- 
taken for  it  was  only  a ship.  About  7 p.  m., 
however,  Neptune  was  announced  to  be  on 
board.  A sailor  called  out,  with  a rough 
voice,  “What  ship  is  this?”  “The  West- 
moreland,” was  answered  by  the  chief  mate. 
“I  knew  her,”  said  the  pretended  Neptune; 
“ Captain  Cumming  commanded  her.  Does 
he  command  her  now?”  “No.”  “ Who  com- 
mands her?”  “Captain  Creery.”  “Where 
does  she  come  from?”  “Liverpool.”  “To 
what  port  is  she  bound?”  “ The  Cape, and 
Bombay.”  “Very  well;  I shall  be  on  board 
to-morrow,  at  half-past  ten  o’clock — tell  the 
captain  that.”  “ I will;  but  be  sure  to  bring 
a fish  with  you.” 

January  8.  We  crossed  the  equator  about 
half  past  five  in  the  morning,  during  a heavy 
squall  of  wind,  accompanied  with  rain,  at 
21  deg.  30  min.  w.  longitude.  We  saw  nu- 
merous flocks  of  sea  gulls  looking  after  the 
flying  fishes,  some  of  which  we  saw  them 
catch  while  flying.  The  men  caught  eight 
bonitoes,  immediately  after  the  squall,  by 
means  of  a hook  dressed  in  resemblance  of  a 
flying  fish,  and  made  to  skim  along  the  sur- 
face of  the  water  like  it. 

At  half  past  ten  o’clock,  the  pretended 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE. 


31 


Neptune  made  his  appearance  on  the  fore- 
castle, dressed  in  a fantastic  manner,  carry- 
ing a trident  with  a bonito  stuck  upon  it; 
attended  by  his  wife,  barber,  and  two  con- 
stables; all  dressed  in  masks,  small  petticoats, 
etc.  The  constables  proceeded  to  the  cabin 
to  summon  all  the  passengers  to  appear 
before  Neptune,  who,  with  his  wife,  was 
drawn  on  a carriage,  roughly  constructed  for 
the  occasion,  along  the  deck,  when  those 
who  had  never  crossed,  the  line  before,  were, 
by  him,  ordered  to  be  shaved.  These  were 
seated  on  the  edge  of  a large  tub  full  of  salt 
water,  with  a wet  cloth  tied  round  their  eyes 
to  blindfold  them.  The  under  parts  of  their 
faces  were  then  covered  with  soot  and  grease, 
by  means  of  a large  brush;  after  which  it 
was  scraped  off  with  a large  piece  of  iron 
hoop  in  the  form  of  a razor,  and  their  thus 
shaved  chins  were  dusted  over  with  salt. 
Then  a speaking  trumpet  was  put  into  their 
mouth,  through  the  wide  end  of  which  a 
question  was  asked:  if  they  opened  their 
mouth  to  answer  it,  the  trumpet  was  imme- 
diately elevated,  which  let  down  a plentiful 
supply  of  salt  water.  Two  pailsfull  of  salt 
water  were  now  poured  on  their  heads:  then 
the  deal  on  which  they  sat  was  suddenly 
withdrawn,  and  they  were  plunged  into  the 
tubful  of  water,  which  concluded  the  foolish 
ceremony.  The  sailors  evidently  had  their 
favourites,  for  some  were  handled  much 
more  roughly  than  others.  The  captain  or- 


32 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


dered  that  none  of  the  passengers,  who  had 
never  formerly  crossed  the  line,  should  be 
molested;  but  in  lieu  of  it,  as  is  usual,  they 
made  a present  to  the  seamen.  Thus  this 
childish  riot  terminated. 

In  the  evening  a good  wind  arose,  accom- 
panied by  rain.  Indeed  there  are  rains  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  line  at  all  seasons,  which 
may  proceed  from  clouds  being  blown  to  it 
by  the  tropical  winds  from  both  sides.  This, 
no  doubt,  is  the  cause  of  clouds  constantly 
hovering  over  the  line,  which  is  a great  com- 
fort when  the  sun  is  shining  directly  down 
upon  our  heads,  as  it  acts  like  an  umbrella, 
protecting  us  from  its  powerful  rays. 

The  fine  breeze  died  away  in  an  hour,  and 
left  us  nearly  becalmed;  so  that  our  prospects 
were  no  sooner  brightened,  and  our  spirits 
raised,  than  all  was  overturned,  and  submis- 
sion to  the  will  of  the  all-wise  Ruler  called 
for.  At  noon  the  thermometer  was  SO,  and 
at  half-past  nine  at  night  it  stood  equally 
high;  this  heat  excited  profuse  perspiration. 
How  different  was  it  with  our  friends  in 
England,  who  were  drawing  round  their 
evening  fires,  while  the  hail  or  snow  storm 
probably  was  raging  without! 

January  9.  Shoals  of  bonitoes*  continued 

* The  bonito  ( Thymnus  pelamys ) is  closely  allied  to  the 
tunny  ( Thymnus  vulgaris)  and  also,  but  less  immediately, 
to  the  common  mackerel,  ( scomber  scombrus,  Linn.)  The 
bonito,  however,  never  attains  to  so  great  a size  as  the 
tunny,  (which  is  commonly  four  feet  in  length,  and  often 
much  more,)  being  usually  but  about  thirty  inches.  Though 


The  Bonito. 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE 


33 


34 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


constantly  to  accompany  the  ship,  and  swim- 
ming exactly  at  the  same  rate.  How  long 
fishes  are  able  to  continue  travelling  it  is 
impossible  to  ascertain,  but  probably  much 
longer  than  any  land  animals.  Swimming 
does  not  appear  to  require  the  same  exertion 
as  running.  They  seemed  truly  intent  on 
their  journey,  turning  neither  to  the  right  nor 
the  left,  but  pushing  straight  forward. 

Silver  articles,  though  in  constant  use,  be- 
gan to  tarnish  on  entering  the  tropic,  and  con- 
tinued to  get  darker  as  we  proceeded.  My 
silver  snuff-box  appeared  like  dull  lead  co- 
lour, which  might  arise  from  the  effect  of  the 
heat  on  some  part  of  the  cargo. 

Thermometer  SO.  The  stars  called  Pleiades 
were  north  of  us;  Orion  immediately  above 

chiefly  confined  to  the  warmer  latitudes  of  the  ocean, 
where  it  wanders  in  shoals,  giving  chase  to  the  flying  fish 
and  skipper,  it  sometimes  visits  more  northern  latitudes, 
and  occasionally  the  British  coast.  The  bonito  is  a very 
beautiful  fish,  its  colours  being  rich  and  metallic : the  back 
is  dark  steel  blue ; the  sides  are  dusky,  passing  on  to  white 
below ; behind  the  pectoral  fins  is  a bright  triangular 
space,  from  which  begin  four  dark  lines,  that  extend  along 
each  side  of  the  belly  to  the  tail.  Its  motions  are  rapid 
and  vigorous. 

It  is  mentioned  by  Commerson,  and  has  since  been  no- 
ticed by  others,  that  the  bonito  is  much  infested  with 
parasitic  internal  worms  ( Entozoa ) of  various  kinds, 
which  even  pierce  through  the  coats  of  the  stomach  and 
intestines,  and  live  upon  the  juices  of  their  living  victim. 
All  fishes  are  peculiarly  obnoxious  to  parasitic  intestinal 
worms;  they  abound  in  the  liver.  In  the  liver,  for  example, 
of  the  common  cod-fish  they  may  be  often  found  in  great 
numbers.  Their  presence  seems  to  disturb  the  health  and 
vigour  of  fishes  much  less  than  might  be  imagined. — Edit. 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE.  35 

us;  and  Sirius,  or  the  Dog-star,  a little  to  the 
south  of  us. 

January  10.  The  regular  s.  e.  wind  has 
become  steady.  In  the  morning  we  saw,  for 
the  first  time  during  the  voyage,  the  flying 
fishes  flying  towards  the  south  ; in  the  other 
tropic,  they  went  always  to  the  north,  in 
both  cases  contrary  to  the  wind.  A large  fish 
followed  us  on  the  windward  side  the  whole 
day,  at  least  thirty  miles,*  and  perhaps  it 
continued  following  us  great  part  of  the 
night.  Few  land  animals  would  have  volun- 
tarily followed  us  so  far.  The  sailors  caught 
three  bonitoes,  all  of  which,  when  opened, 
were  found  to  be  overrun  with  intestinal 
worms,  on  which  account  they  were  imme- 
diately thrown  overboard.  Not  one  on  board 
had  ever  seen  or  heard  of  such  a thing  before 
this  voyage,  though  I have  since  been  told 
it  is  not  uncommon  for  fishes  to  be  in  that 
state.  The  sailors  viewed  them  with  aston- 
ishment and  disappointment. 

January  11.  Great  crowds  of  bonitoes  fol- 
lowed us  the  whole  day.  Their  number 
seemed  to  occasion  no  small  stir  among  the 
winged  fishes,  for  they  were  continually  fly- 

* The  rapidity  of  the  movements  of  fishes  surprises  us, 
when  we  consider  that  they  will  not  only  follow  vessels  for 
leagues,  but  play  around  them  with  as  much  ease  as  if 
they  were  stationary : but  the  flight  of  insects  is  more  ex- 
traordinary ; a common  blue-bottle  fly,  or  a dragon  fly, 
will  dance  and  wheel  round  a steam  carriage  going  at  the 
rate  of  thirty  miles  an  hour,  dart  before  it,  and  return,  as 
if  the  carriage  were  in  the  slowest  state  of  motion. — Edit. 


36 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


ing  out  of  the  water  to  escape  this  devouring 
army.  Thermometer  SO. 

January  12.  Mr.  H.  second  mate,  who  had 
been  long  on  board  a frigate  during  the  last 
war,  mentioned  an  appearance  frequently 
seen  at  sea,  which  is  often  mistaken  for  a 
distant  ship,  and  has  often  been  pursued  in 
mistake  by  our  cruisers,  but  as  they  advance 
it  recedes,  on  which  account  the  sailors  call 
it  the  Flying  Dutchman. 

January  14.  Thermometer  S2.  We  were 
now  within  about  three  thousand  miles  of 
the  Cape,  and  entertained  hopes  of  reaching 
it  in  a month. 

January  16.  Passed  the  latitude  of  St. 
Helena. 

January  IS.  The  two  white  specks  in  the 
heavens,  called  the  Cape  clouds  by  those 
sailing  to  India,  and  the  Magellan  clouds  by 
such  as  are  sailing  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  round 
Cape  Horn,  have  been  looked  for  by  us  ever 
since  we  passed  the  line,  but  neither  were 
seen  till  this  evening,  when  they  were  plain- 
ly perceived  above  the  horizon.  We  hailed 
their  appearance  as  a sign  of  our  approach 
to  the  Cape. 

The  number  of  fowls  seen  to-day  was 
greater  than  usual,  perhaps  owing  to  our 
being  in  the  vicinity  of  Trinidad,  an  island 
which  we  expected  to  see  next  morning  at 
sunrise,  having  been  north  of  it,  at  noon, 
ninety  miles. 

The  sea  fowls,  in  this  part  of  the  world, 


CAPE  OP  GOOD  HOPE. 


37 


may  be  classed  among  the  happiest  of  their 
species.  There  are  no  human  beings  to  an- 
noy them,  they  have  perpetual  summer,  and 
a constant  supply  of  the  provisions  they  are 
fond  of,  from  the  number  of  flying  fishes  con- 
stantly to  be  found  in  these  latitudes.  When 
the  season  for  hatching  their  young  arrives, 
they  have  the  uninhabited  island  of  Trinidad 
to  repair  to  for  that  purpose,  where  there  is 
not  a creature  to  molest  them;  only  a few 
swine  left  there  for  propagation  by  some 
captain  of  a ship.  How  many  human  beings 
on  the  face  of  the  earth  resemble  these  birds! 
they  fare  sumptuously  every  day,  and  pos- 
sess the  means  of  obtaining  the  things  which 
their  hearts  desire,  but  they  take  all  as  mat- 
ters of  course,  without  feeling  any  risings  of 
gratitude  to  Him  to  whom  they  are  indebted 
for  all  their  comforts!  The  patience  of  God, 
in  bearing  long  with  such  ungrateful  human 
beings,  is  very  wonderful. 

We  found  the  grandeur  of  the  setting  sun 
not  at  all  inferior  in  the  southern,  to  what  it 
had  been  in  the  northern  hemisphere;  in- 
deed, during  the  day,  we  continued  to  look 
forward  to  the  sunset  as  a season  of  peculiar 
enjoyment.  The  splendour  and  glory  of  the 
western  heavens,  on  that  occasion,  was  now 
very  pleasing  and  diversified  every  evening. 
The  lower  part  of  the  heavens,  as  seen 
through  the  variously  shaped  black  clouds, 
resembled  a city  on  fire;  above  this  was 
spread  out  a beautiful  deep  yellow,  which 


38 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


increased  in  brightness  higher  up  the  hori- 
zon, till  it  was  gradually  lost  in  a mixture  of 
blue  and  lilac,  which  exhibited  an  indescri- 
bable richness.  The  darkness  of  the  neigh- 
bouring parts  of  the  heavens  set  off  to  great 
advantage  the  illuminated  parts.  So  splen- 
did a scene  can  hardly  be  viewed  with  indif- 
ference by  any  human  being,  however  de- 
graded his  intellect  may  be.  It  is  kind  in 
the  Creator  to  exhibit  such  glory  to  men  tra- 
versing the  mighty  deep.  It  calls  them  to 
reflect  on  his  almighty  power  and  goodness. 

January  19.  All  were  aroused  and  has- 
tily invited  on  deck  a little  before  sunrise 
this  morning,  to  see  land  for  the  first  time  for 
upwards  of  two  months.  The  island  of  Tri- 
nidad was  about  eighteen  miles  to  the  west- 
ward of  us.  The  land  being  high,  it  was 
very  distinctly  seen.  Several  curious  rocks 
lay  about  three  miles  to  the  eastward  of  us, 
which  are  called  Martin  Vass  Rocks.  They 
stand  high  out  of  the  water;  and  the  bottom 
of  the  ocean  near  them,  being  beyond  the 
reach  of  any  line  that  has  been  tried,  there 
must  be  a vast  mass  of  rock  under  water, 
concealed  from  the  view  of  man.  Very  pro- 
bably they  have  been  thrown  up  by  some 
volcanic  eruption,  like  the  islands  of  St.  He- 
lena and  Ascension. 

These  are  parts  of  the  world  not  frequently 
seen  by  the  human  eye,  but  they  form  a fine 
residence  for  the  innumerable  fowls  which 
amuse  the  navigator  in  this  lonely  part  of 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE. 


39 


the  ocean,  and  whose  eggs  or  carcasses  might 
supply  him  with  food,  were  he  short  of  pro- 
visions. While  admiring  these  magnificent 
rocks,  the  sun  rose  as  if  from  slumbering  in 
the  ocean  with  majestic  splendour,  which 
contributed  greatly  to  the  beauty  of  the  scene 
before  us. 

The  island  of  Trinidad  is  only  about  six 
miles  in  circumference,  extending  nearly  s.  e. 
and  n.  w.  It  is  high  and  uneven,  and  in 
general  rocky  and  barren,  but  in  some  parts 
there  are  trees  on  the  heights,  from  twelve 
to  eighteen  inches  in  diameter,  particularly 
about  the  south  end  of  the  island.  The  seeds 
from  which  these  trees  originally  sprung, 
were  probably  brought  thither  by  winds  and 
currents  from  other  lands,  and  by  the  waves 
and  winds  driven  upon  the  land,  grew,  and 
yielded  seeds  of  their  own  kind,  which  pro- 
duced other  generations  of  trees:  this  process 
may  go  on  till  the  end  of  time,  when  all 
things  shall  be  dissolved,  and  the  elements 
shall  melt  with  fervent  heat. 

The  shore  is  rocky  and  of  difficult  access, 
occasioned  by  the  high  surf  that  continually 
breaks  on  it  in  every  part.  At  the  e.  and 
s.  w.  sides  of  the  island,  good  water  runs  in 
two  small  streams.  Excepting  at  the  time 
when  rain  prevails,  these  streams  are  very 
small,  and  it  seems  probable  that  they  may, 
at  some  season,  be  entirely  dried  up.  Wild 
hogs  and  goats  are  found  on  it;  probably  left 
there  by  some  captain  of  a ship.  These  are 


40 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


the  principal  proprietors  of  the  island,  and 
enjoy  an  undisputed  sovereignty. 

On  the  west  side,  almost  detached  from 
the  island  there  is  a rock  about  eight  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  high,  with  trees  on  it, 
called  the  Monument,  or  Nine  Pin;  it  is  of  a 
cylindrical  form.  There  is  also  a stupendous 
arch,  which  perforates  a bluff  rock,  about 
eight  hundred  feet  high;  this  is  about  forty 
feet  in  breadth,  near  fifty  in  height,  and  four 
hundred  and  twenty  in  length.  The  sea 
breaks  through  the  arch  with  great  noise, 
and  there  are  more  than  three  fathoms  depth 
of  water  under  the  arch,  and  likewise  in  the 
basin  formed  at  its  east  side.  At  the  s.  e. 
end  of  the  island,  there  is  a rock  of  a conical 
form,  about  eleven  hundred  and  sixty  feet 
high,  called  the  Sugar-loaf,  with  trees  like- 
wise on  its  summit;  and  whenever  it  rains 
hard,  a beautiful  waterfall  of  about  seven 
hundred  feet  is  projected  from  it.  It  was 
reported  by  a captain  of  an  Indiaman,  who 
landed  upon  it,  that  there  is  a church,  with 
a cross  upon  it,  standing  at  the  upper  part  of 
the  easternmost  bay.  No  nation  has  thought 
it  worth  their  while  to  take  possession  of  this 
island. 

I frequently  resumed  my  glass  to  take  ano- 
ther and  another  look  at  the  islands  before 
they  were  completely  out  of  sight,  being 
verily  persuaded  I should  see  them  no  more. 
By  eleven  a.  m.  the  Martin  Vass  Rocks  were 
out  of  sight,  and  Trinidad  was  invisible  by 
noon. 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE. 


41 


By  seeing  Trinidad  we  knew  the  certainty 
of  our  longitude,  which  corresponded  exactly 
with  two,  out  of  three,  chronometers  on 
board.  This  was  very  satisfactory,  and  was 
fitted  to  give  confidence  in  them  during  the 
remainder  of  the  voyage.  In  the  days  of  the 
ancient  Phenicians,  Carthaginians,  and  Ro- 
mans, their  navigators,  without  compass  and 
chronometer,  might  have  searched  twenty 
years  for  Trinidad  on  the  immense  ocean, 
without  finding  it  out. 

Latitude  at  noon  20  deg.  59  min.  s.,  lon- 
gitude 29  deg.  44  min.  w.  Thermometer 
82.  We  were  at  that  time  about  eleven 
miles  south  of  the  sun,  having  passed  the 
line,  where  it  was  vertical,  or  directly  over 
our  heads,  about  eleven,  a.  m. 

January  20.  Thermometer  SO.  We  cross- 
ed the  tropic  of  Capricorn  about  eight  p.  m., 
so  that  the  torrid  zone  was  left  behind.  A 
numerous  flock  of  sea  fowls  accompanied  us 
the  whole  day. 

Each  tropic  extends  23£  deg.  or  sixteen 
hundred  and  twenty-one  miles  and  a half, 
north  and  south  of  the  equator.  The  north 
tropic  was  crossed  in  seventeen  days,  and 
the  south  in  twelve  days;  so  that  crossing 
the  whole  of  the  torrid  zone,  containing  47 
deg.  of  latitude,  or  three  thousand  two  hun- 
dred and  forty-three  miles,  took  twenty-nine 
days:  in  addition  to  which,  during  these 
twenty-nine  days,  we  had  sailed  several 
hundred  miles  of  longitude  in  a south-east- 


42 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


erly  direction  in  the  north  tropic;  and  several 
hundred  miles  of  longitude  in  a south-west- 
erly direction  in  the  south  tropic.  Ther- 
mometer SO. 

January  23.  For  two  days  we  saw  nei- 
ther sea  fowls  nor  flying  fishes,  which  made 
us  suppose  we  had  got  beyond  the  region  of 
the  latter.  As  all  the  fishes  we  caught  with- 
in the  tropics  appeared  to  live  chiefly  on  the 
flying  fish,  perhaps  that  fish,  by  being  con- 
fined to  this  region,  may  be  the  means  of  de- 
taining the  others  in  these  latitudes.  But 
what  detains  the  flying  fishes  themselves  ? 
Perhaps  there  may  be  some  floating  sub- 
stance on  which  they  feed,  which  is  only 
produced  within  the  torrid  zone,  and  is  not 
found  far  beyond  its  boundaries.  It  cannot 
depend  entirely  on  the  heat,  for  it  is  as  hot 
down  to  the  Cape,  during  a part  of  the  year, 
as  it  is  at  the  equator  at  that  same  time. 

January  24.  Particular  attention  seemed 
to  be  paid  by  the  sailors  to  Dr.  Philip’s  dis- 
course to  day,  on  the  parable  of  the  ten  vir- 
gins, Matt.  xxv.  Thermometer  SO.  We 
were,  at  noon,  within  4 deg.  of  being  as  far 
south  as  the  Cape,  yet  upwards  of  two  thou- 
sand miles  to  the  westward  of  it.  We  ap- 
peared now  to  have  got  into  a sea  desert; 
no  skip-jacks  or  bonitoes  leaping  above  wa- 
ter, no  flying  fishes  hastening  past  the  ship, 
nor  beautiful  dolphins  playing  around  us; 
no,  nor  a single  fowl  darting  upon  its  prey; 
nothing  but  a confused  assemblage  of  lan- 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE. 


43 


guid,  lifeless  waves.  In  the  absence  of  wind, 
to  cause  us  to  plough  the  ocean  with  speed, 
we  sensibly  felt  the  absence  of  the  living 
parts  of  the  creation  of  God.  However,  as 
we  sailed  south,  new  stars  were  rising  into 
view  almost  every  night.  We  had  left  the 
Pleiades,  or  the  seven  stars,  a great  way 
behind;  Orion,  also,  was  north  of  us;  and 
the  Dog-star  almost  immediately  above  our 
heads;  and  the  twilight  continued  till  near 

S p.  M. 

Sunsetting  continued  to  be  peculiarly  splen- 
did, though  sunrising  seemed  to  us  to  exceed 
it,  which  might  arise  from  our  own  feelings 
on  these  different  occasions.  Sunrising  is 
the  birth  of  day,  and  sunsetting  its  death;  the 
former  is  succeeded  by  darkness,  the  latter  is 
followed  by  an  increase  of  light.  “ Arise, 
shine,”  says  the  Scripture  to  Zion  ; “ for  thy 
light  is  come:  thy  sun  shall  no  more  go 
down.”  “ Unto  you  that  fear  my  name  shall 
the  Sun  of  righteousness  arise  with  healing 
in  his  wings.”  Happy  those  souls  that  live 
beneath  the  cheering  beams  of  Christ,  the 
“ Sun  of  righteousness!” 

January  26.  Witnessed  on  deck,  at  five 
in  the  morning,  the  sun  rising.  There  being 
no  clouds  in  the  lower  part  of  the  horizon,  it 
seemed  to  arise  from  the  ocean  itself  with 
cheering  grandeur.  The  luminaries  of  the 
night,  which  had  attracted  so  much  attention, 
had  all  withdrawn,  thus,  as  it  were,  tacitly 
yielding  to  the  sun  his  right  to  rule  the  day. 


44 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


During  the  day,  the  sea  was  nearly  as 
smooth  as  if  it  had  been  an  immense  mirror, 
and  had  an  appearance  from  which  it  was 
impossible  to  withhold  admiration.  We  now 
began  to  feel  a dew  falling  in  the  evening, 
by  the  dampness  which  our  clothes  acquired 
while  on  deck. 

January  28.  We  were,  to  day,  nearly 
opposite  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  in  point 
of  latitude. 

January  29.  About  ten  a.  m.,  a gale  of 
wind  rose.  When  at  its  height,  a whirlwind 
and  water  spout  were  seen  ahead  of  us,  but 
neither  injured  us.  Thermometer  72:  which 
was  seven  degrees  below  yesterday,  owing 
to  the  blowing  of  the  south  wind,  which  is 
the  coldest  in  the  southern  hemisphere. 

January  30.  The  gale  continued  the  whole 
night,  but  with  rather  less  severity.  The 
heavens  being  covered  with  clouds,  no  ob- 
servations could  be  taken  at  noon.  Squally 
and  baffling  winds.  Man-of-war  birds  gene- 
rally now  draw  near  the  ships  in  the  evening, 
like  boobies,  perhaps  to  roost.  The  latter  will 
allow  themselves  to  be  taken  by  the  sailors, 
rather  than  be  at  the  trouble  to  fly  away. 

February  1.  Found  that  the  gale  had 
driven  us  considerably  back  towards  the 
north,  as  our  latitude  at  noon  was  30  de- 
grees s.  Thermometer  74.  Held  the  monthly 
prayer  meeting  for  the  diffusion  of  the  gos- 
pel among  the  heathen. 

February  2.  The  planet  Venus  was  the 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE. 


45 


morning  star,  and  was  visible  for  ten  minutes 
after  sunrise.  It  is  surprising  how  little  of 
the  surface  of  the  ocean  is  visible  from  the 
deck  of  a ship,  owing  to  the  globular  form  of 
the  earth.  The  eye  of  the  person  on  deck  of 
such  a ship  as  the  Westmoreland,  is  about 
fifteen  feet  from  the  surface  of  the  water, 
from  which  elevation,  it  has  been  ascertained, 
by  calculation,  that  a person  so  placed  could 
only  see  three  miles  and  a half,  in  opposite 
directions  from  the  deck,  as  the  centre,  or 
seven  miles  in  diameter:  multiplying  this  by 
three,  there  is  only  a circle  or  circumference 
of  twenty-one  miles;  a small  part  of  the 
world,  indeed,  to  be  seen  at  one  time. 

February  4.  The  calm,  which  we  have 
had  for  two  days,  continued;  indeed,  hardly 
the  least  rippling  on  the  surface  of  the  water 
appeared  during  the  day.  A more  delightful 
day  could  hardly  be  expected  in  the  middle 
of  the  Southern  Ocean;  the  only  drawback 
was  our  making  no  progress  on  our  voyage, 
which  the  captain  said,  would  “provoke  a 
saint!”  This,  of  course,  would  be  no  evi- 
dence of  his  saintship.  We  were  nearly  in 
the  same  position  in  which  we  had  been 
about  a week  before.  Nothing  with  life 
was  either  seen  above  or  under  water,  ex- 
cept one  solitary  sea-fowl.  Our  single  ship 
contained  all  the  living  world  we  could  see. 
What  other  beings  inhabited  our  globe,  was 
a matter  of  mere  recollection  and  faith;  and 
5 


46 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


that  we  should  ever  see  more  was  merely  a 
matter  of  hope  and  expectation. 

Association  with  fellow  men  is  a source 
of  so  much  human  happiness  in  the  present 
state  of  things,  that,  when  suspended,  there 
seems  a void,  which  creates  a great  longing 
in  the  mind:  this  one  does  not  feel,  however 
solitary,  on  land,  for  there  we  can  reach  so- 
ciety at  pleasure.  The  most  pleasant  intel- 
ligence that  could  have  been  brought  to  us, 
would  have  been  the  springing  up  of  a fresh 
and  favourable  breeze  of  wind;  but  this  could 
not  be  effected  by  human  exertion,  nor  be 
procured  by  the  aggregate  wealth  of  both  the 
Indies.  We  must  look  for  wind  from  Him 
alone,  who  said,  “ Let  there  be  light,  and 
there  was  light.”  We  felt  submission  to 
him  who  worketh  all  things  according  to  the 
counsel  of  his  own  will;  and  who  had  a right 
to  place  us,  and  detain  us  in  whatever  part 
of  his  empire  he  pleased. 

February  5.  Continued  a calm  till  about 
eight  a.  m.,  when  a gentle  breeze  arose,  and 
increased  till  we  were  going  at  the  rate  of 
five  miles  an  hour:  but  as  the  heat  of  the 
day  became  more  powerful,  it  gradually,  as 
the  sailors  say,  “ ate  up  the  wind.” 

Nothing  is  more  uncertain  to  man  than  the 
wind,  and  its  very  uncertainty  assists  the 
animal  spirits  of  many  during  calms,  not 
knowing  but  a good  wind  may  come  in  a 
few  minutes:  this  disposes  seamen  to  look  in 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE. 


47 


every  direction  for  the  signs  of  its  approach. 
However,  it  almost  invariably  comes  at  an. 
unexpected  moment.  The  moon  being  near 
full,  the  nights  were  so  delightful  that  we 
could  hardly  determine  whether  our  days  or 
nights  were  most  pleasant;  the  heavens  were 
constantly  free  from  clouds,  and  the  air  mild 
and  tranquil.  The  heavens  truly  declared 
their  Maker’s  glory,  and  the  surrounding  ele- 
ments his  handy  works;  indeed,  day  unto 
day  uttered  speech,  and  night  unto  night 
were  sublimely  fitted  to  teach  wisdom  and 
knowledge  concerning  him.  But  it  is  the 
Bible  alone,  as  the  revealed  will  of  God,  that 
teaches  us  that  Christ  died  for  our  sins,  and 
rose  again  for  our  justification.  These  all- 
important  truths  can  only  be  known  by  reve- 
lation. 

February  6.  During  the  night  we  were 
favoured  with  a sight  of  that  beautiful  con- 
stellation, called  the  Cross,  because  of  its  re- 
semblance to  a cross.  Latitude  34  deg.  4 
min.  s.,  longitude  13  deg.  w. ; which  made 
us  still  about  one  thousand  six  hundred  miles 
from  our  destination.  Thermometer  74. 

February  8.  We  were  at  this  time  only 
about  eighty-four  miles  from  Tristan  d’Acun- 
ha,  a group  of  islands,  which  were  discovered 
by  a Portuguese  of  that  name.  The  group 
consists  of  three  islands,  to  the  largest  of 
which  the  discoverer  gave  his  own  name. 
It  is  about  six  or  seven  miles  in  extent,  or 


4S 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


twenty  in  circuit,  of  a square  form,  being  the 
base  of  a mountain,  which  terminates  in  a 
peak,  elevated  eight  thousand  three  hundred 
and  twenty-six  feet  above  the  sea;  some- 
times covered  with  snow  when  the  sun  is 
in  the  northern  hemisphere,  and  may  be 
seen  at  ninety  miles  distance.  At  the  north 
side  of  the  island,  the  land  rises  perpendicu- 
larly a thousand  feet  or  more  from  the  sea, 
then  ascends  with  a gentle  acclivity  to  the 
base  of  the  peaked  mountain,  which  rises 
majestically  over  the  table  land.  This  island, 
like  St.  Helena,  is  formed  of  abrupt  hilly 
ridges,  with  chasms  or  deep  valleys  between 
them,  and  seems  to  be  of  volcanic  origin. 
The  trees  which  grow  on  the  sides  of  the 
ridges  are  small,  with  spreading  branches 
hanging  near  the  ground.  Wild  celery,  wild 
parsley,  and  sorrel,  grow  plentifully;  and 
wild  goats  and  wild  hogs  are  found  in  the 
interior.  The  cascade,  or  watering  place,  is 
about  the  middle  of  the  north  side  of  the 
island,  where  the  water  is  excellent.  The 
landing  is  easy,  on  the  east  side  of  it,  upon 
a beach  of  round  pebbles.  The  Peak  is  in 
latitude  37  deg.  6 min.  s.,  longitude  11  deg. 
44  min.  w.  Good  water  is  also  got  with 
great  ease  from  a small  lake  at  the  east  side 
of  the  bay,  which  is  supplied  by  falls  from 
the  mountains.  There  are  sometimes  a rise 
and  fall  of  the  tides  about  eight  or  nine  feet. 

The  shores  of  this  and  the  adjacent  islands 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE. 


49 


abound  with  seals  and  sea  lions,*  and  are 
fronted  by  strong  see- weed,  which  is  seen 
floating  on  the  water  ill  their  vicinity,  and 

* The  shores  of  Tristan  d’Acunha  are  the  resort  of  va- 
rious species  of  seal,  and  among  them  the  gigantic  Phoca 
lenrina  of  Linn.;  ( Mncrorhinus  proboscideus , Fred.  Cu- 
vier.) “ This  seal,”  says  Pennant,  “ is  exclusively  a native 
of  the  antarctic  regions,  and  delights  more  especially  in 
such  isles  as  are  utterly  desolate,  to  some  of  which  it 
seems  to  show  exclusive  preference.”  Captain  Carmi- 
chael, in  his  description  of  the  island  of  Tristan  d’Acunha, 
(1817,)  refers  particularly  to  these  larger  seals,  of  which 
the  males,  he  says,  are  from  twenty  to  twenty -five  feet  in 
length,  and  yield  seventy  gallons  of  oil.  “ They  pass,” 
he  adds,  “ the  greater  part  of  their  time  on  shore,  and 
may  be  seen  in  hundreds  lying  asleep  along  the  sandy 
beach,  or  concealed  among  the  long  Spartina  grass,  which 
borders  the  sea  shore.  These  huge  animals  are  so  little 
apprehensive  of  danger  that  they  must  be  kicked  or  pelted 
with  stones  before  they  make  any  attempt  to  move  out  of 
one’s  way.  When  roused  from  their  slumber,  they  raise 
the  fore  part  of  their  body,  open  wide  their  mouth,  and 
display  a formidable  set  of  tusks;  but  never  attempt  to 
bite.  Should  this,  however,  fail  to  intimidate  their  dis- 
turbers, they  set  themselves  at  length  in  motion,  and  make 
for  the  water ; but  still  with  such  deliberation,  that  on  an 
expedition  we  once  made  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  island, 
two  of  our  party  were  tempted  to  get  astride  on  the  back 
of  one  of  them,  and  rode  him  fairly  into  the  water.” 

These  seals  exist  in  great  numbers  on  the  island  of  Juan 
Fernandez,  and  visit  the  islands  on  Bass’  Straits,  the  land 
of  Kerguelen,  the  island  of  Georgia,  and  numerous  other 
spots  on  the  southern  ocean.  Their  habits  are  migratory ; 
equally  averse  to  severe  heat  and  severe  cold,  they  ad- 
vance with  the  winter  season  from  the  south  to  the  north, 
that  is,  towards  the  equator,  (for  they  are  not  natives  of 
the  seas  north  of  the  line,  but  south  of  it;)  and  as  the 
summer  comes  on,  return  in  the  contrary  direction.  In 
June,  the  shores  of  King  Island  are  literally  blackened  by 
their  numbers. — Editor. 


The  Proboscis  Seal. 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE.  51 

patches  of  it  extended  to  a considerable  dis- 
tance. 

Three  Americans  settled  upon  it  in  IS  1 1 , 
with  the  view  of  preparing  seal  skins  and 
oil,  to  dispose  of  to  vessels  which  might  touch 
there.  A detachment  of  British  soldiers  were 
stationed  there  part  of  the  time  Napoleon 
was  at  St.  Helena. 

The  second  in  the  group,  called  Inaccess- 
ible Island,  lying  seven  miles  to  the  west- 
ward, is  the  middle  and  westernmost  of  the 
group;  it  is  about  nine  miles  in  circuit,  and 
may  be  seen  about  fifty  miles  distant.  It  is 
level  and  barren,  with  a few  scattered  shrubs 
on  it.  Several  streams  of  water  issue  from 
the  top  of  the  mountain. 

The  third  is  Nightingale  Island,  the  small- 
est and  southernmost  of  these  islands,  distant 
about  eighteen  miles  from  Tristan  d’Acunha; 
it  is  about  six  or  seven  miles  in  circuit,  hav- 
ing two  rocky  islets  off  the  north-east  point, 
and  some  at  the  south  point.  . There  is  a 
difficulty  in  reaching  the  shore  in  a boat,  on 
account  of  strong  seaweed  twined  together; 
and,  after  landing,  the  interior  cannot  be 
penetrated  on  account  of  reeds.  The  shore 
is  covered  with  penguins*  and  eggs.  There 

* Aptenodytes  demersa,  Grael. — Le  sphenisque  du  Cap. 
Cuvier ; or  Cape  Penguin.  The  Penguins  are  all  pecu- 
liar to  the  antarctic  seas,  and  are  expressly  adapted  for 
swimming,  their  wings  being  admirable  paddles,  but  quite 
useless  as  organs  of  flight.  The  Cape  Penguin  is  a native 
of  various  rocky  isles  in  the  seas  around  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  on  which  it  lays  its  eggs  and  rears  its  young. — 
Edit. 


52 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


The  Crested  Penguin. 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE.  53 

are  also  a number  of  sea  elephants  and 
seals. 

There  is  an  island  about  a hundred  and 
forty  miles  to  the  eastward  of  Tristan,  called 
Gouch’s  Island,  lying  in  latitude  40  deg.  19§ 
min.  s.  longitude  9 deg.  4H  min.  w.,  which 
is  about  five  or  six  miles  in  extent,  and  fif- 
teen miles  round,  elevated  about  four  thou- 
sand three  hundred  and  eighty-five  feet  above 
the  sea;  its  surface  is  covered  mostly  with  a 
light  coat  of  mossy  grass,  and  some  of  the 
small  bushy  trees  may  be  observed,  which 
abound  in  Tristan  d’Acunha.  The  steep 
cliffs  rise  almost  perpendicularly  from  the 
sea,  having  several  beautiful  cascades  of 
water  issuing  from  the  fissures  between  them. 

The  Church  Rock,  exactly  resembling  a 
church,  with  a high  spire  on  its  western  end, 
is  situated  near  the  n.  e.  point  of  the  island; 
and  to  the  southward  of  this  rock,  on  the 
east  side  of  the  island,  lies  an  islet  near  the 
shore,  within  which  the  landing  is  safe  and 
easy.  Here  some  men  resided  belonging  to 
the  American  ship  Baltic;  they  had  been 
rather  unsuccessful  during  a long  stay  on  the 
island,  most  of  the  seals  having  deserted  it; 
but  they  procured  plenty  of  fish,  and  birds  of 
fine  flavour,  for  subsistence,  by  lighting  a 
fire  on  one  of  the  hills  in  the  night. 

A ship  that  visited  this  island  in  Decem- 
ber, 1813,  discovered  none  of  the  Americans 
here,  but  found  that  several  had  been  buried, 
by  the  inscriptions  they  observed  placed  at 
6 


54 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


the  burying  ground.  Three  boilers  for  boil- 
ing oil,  and  a quantity  of  salt  for  curing  skins, 
were  also  discovered. 

We  expected  to  have  seen  the  high  land 
of  Tristan  d’Acunha  during  the  afternoon, 
when  the  sun  got  to  the  western  sky,  but  we 
could  not  distinguish  it. 

We  frequently  observed  in  these  latitudes, 
that  when  the  moon  was  to  the  eastward  of 
us,  there  was  always  the  appearance  of  a 
heavy  fall  of  rain  under,  as  if  between  us  and 
the  lower  part  of  the  horizon;  but  it  was  not 
rain,  only  the  appearance,  being  the  same 
when  there  is  not  a speck  of  cloud  in  the 
whole  heavens  around. 

The  position  in  which  Providence  has 
placed  the  above  little  islands,  so  remote  from 
the  two  great  continents  of  Africa  and  South 
America,  and  likewise  from  all  other  lands, 
is  remarkable;  and,  on  some  occasions,  they 
may  be  extremely  serviceable  to  ships  which 
may  be  long  retarded  by  baffling  winds,  till 
their  water  or  provisions,  or  both,  are  ex- 
hausted. By  such  they  would  be  resorted  to 
as  providential  store-houses;  and  should  their 
navigators  have  a spark  of  right  knowledge, 
they  will  adore  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of 
that  God  who  has  pleased  to  place  them 
where  they  are.  Like  Trinidad  and  Martin 
Vass  Rocks,  they  are  an  undisturbed  retreat 
for  innumerable  sea  fowls.*  It  is  delightful 

* The  islands  of  the  Southern  Ocean  are  the  resort  of 
vast  flocks  of  Eea  birds,  among  which  the  booby  and  the 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE. 


55 


to  notice  how  condescendingly  God  attends 
to  the  wants  and  comforts  of  the  irrational 

man-of-war  bird  are  conspicuous.  The  booby  is  a species 
of  gannet  ( Sula ) or  rather,  several  distinct  species  of  this 
genus,  peculiar  to  the  latitudes  south  of  the  line,  are  in- 
cluded under  this  denomination.  The  genus  Sula  is  cha- 
racterized by  a long  bill,  which  is  thick  at  the  base,  and 
tapers  gradually  to  a sharp  point,  constituting  a formid- 
able weapon.  Beneath  the  under  mandible  the  skin  is 
naked  and  dilatable,  and  the  edges  of  the  upper  are  fur- 
rowed with  teeth  directed  backwards,  resembling  those  of 
a fine  saw;  the  face  is  naked;  the  wings  are  long  and 
pointed ; the  tail  is  graduated  ; the  four  toes  are  all  con- 
nected together  by  webs;  and  the  claw  of  the  middle  toe 
is  pectinated,  as  in  the  heron.  Gifted  with  unwearied 
powers  of  flight,  the  birds  of  this  genus  are  incessantly 
soaring  over  the  ocean,  eagerly  surveying  its  glassy  sur- 
face in  quest  of  fish,  upon  which  they  dart  from  their  ele- 
vation with  amazing  velocity.  They  do  not  dive,  strictly 
speaking,  nor  are  they  expert  as  swimmers,  seldom  indeed 
resting  on  the  water,  where,  when  they  do  alight,  they 
float  without  using  any  exertion.  During  the  breeding 
season  they  assemble  together  in  large  flocks,  and  take  up 
their  quarters  on  the  most  precipitous  rocks  which  over- 
hang the  deep.  They  lay  but  one  egg,  and  the  young  are 
nearly  four  years  in  acquiring  the  full  plumage  of  maturity. 

The  habits  and  manners  of  the  southern  gannets  doubt- 
less agree  very  closely  with  those  of  the  British  species. 
In  the  European  seas,  however,  the  gannet  is  exempt  from 
the  persecution  of  an  enemy,  by  which  it  is  greatly  ha- 
rassed in  the  inter-tropical  ocean ; we  allude  to  the  man- 
of-war  bird,  which  subsists  in  a great  measure  upon  the 
labours  of  this  active  and  industrious  fisher.  The  man- 
of-war  bird  is  indeed  one  of  the  extortioners  of  the  feather- 
ed tribes,  and  lives  a life  of  plunder  and  oppression ; not 
that  it  does  not  fish  for  itself,  but  it  eagerly  avails  itself  of 
the  opportunity  of  depriving  other  fishing  birds  of  their 
booty,  and  especially  the  gannet,  which  seems,  probably 
on  account  of  its  success  in  fishing,  to  be  a marked  victim. 

The  mode  in  which  the  man-of-war  bird  forces  the 
gannet  to  deliver  up  his  booty,  puts  us  in  mind  of  the 


56 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


part  of  his  creation,  as  well  as  to  those  of  the 
rational.  As  an  argument  for  sparing  Nine- 

manoeuvre  practised  by  the  white-headed  eagle,  in  order  to 
obtain  the  fish  which  the  industrious  osprey  has  captured. 
In  both  cases  might  prevails  over  right,  and  the  weaker 
yields  to  the  more  powerful.  “ To  attain  his  object,” 
says  a writer  who  describes  from  actual  observation,  “ the 
man-of-war  bird  hovers  above  the  gannet,  and  darting  ra- 
pidly down,  strikes  him  on  the  back  of  the  head,  causing 
him  to  disgorge  his  prey,  which  is  seized  by  the  man-of- 
war  bird  with  inconceivable  rapidity,  before  it  reaches  the 
water:  he  then  soars  aloft  to  iook  out  for  another  object 
of  attack.  It  is  not  an  uncommon  circumstance  to  observe 
a single  gannet  selected  from  a flock,  aud  come  out  (at- 
tacked, most  probably,  because  he  separates  from  the  rest,) 
to  be  the  subject  of  attack,  as  if  he  had  been  called  by  the 
man-of  war  bird  in  preference  to  the  others.  The  gannet, 
however,  does  his  best  to  avoid  the  blow,  by  lowering 
himself  at  every  dart  of  his  enemy,  and  raising  his  pointed 
beak  in  a perpendicular  direction  to  receive  him  ; by  these 
means  it  frequently  eludes  the  repeated  blows  of  its  anta- 
gonist, and  both  fall  into  the  water  together,  where  the 
gannet  having  the  advantage,  usually  escapes.” 

At  the  island  of  Ascension,  where  these  birds  are  com- 
mon, a gentleman,  who  had  seen  the  gannet  disgorge  its 
fish  when  struck  on  the  head  by  the  man-of-war  bird,  tried 
an  experiment  to  the  same  effect.  Visiting  the  part  of  the 
island  termed  “ The  Fair,”  where  these  birds  congregate 
in  great  numbers,  he  struck  some  of  them  with  a cane  on 
the  back  of  the  head,  when  the  disgorgement  of  the  fish 
they  had  swallowed  immediately  took  place. 

The  man-of-war  bird  (Tachypeles  aquila)  is  a native  of 
the  inter-tropics,  where  it  is  often  seen  at  a great  distance 
from  land.  In  form,  contour,  and  habits,  it  strongly  re- 
minds us  of  the  falcon  tribe ; and  though  deriving  its 
food  from  the  stores  of  ocean,  it  is  incapable  of  diving  and 
swimming,  and  never,  or  very  rarely,  even  rests  on  the 
surface  of  the  deep.  Its  feet  are  indeed  webbed;  but  the 
webs  are  very  partial,  and  the  tarsi  are  short ; the  legs  are 
feeble,  and  covered  to  the  toes  with  long  loose  feathers. 
The  tail  is  long  and  forked ; the  wings  are  of  vast  extent ; 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE. 


57 


veh  from  destruction,  it  is  mentioned  that  in 
it  were  much  cattle.  God  is  also  said  to  feed 

the  beak  is  long,  powerful,  and  hooked  at  the  tip ; beneath 
the  throat  is  a large  pouch,  (most  remarkable  in  the  male,) 
capable  of  being  distended  with  air,  and  which  is  regarded 
by  most  naturalists  as  an  apparatus  aiding  the  bird  in  its 
flight.  The  skin  which  covers  the  distended  sack  exter- 
nally, is  destitute  of  feathers,  and  of  a deep  red  colour. 
The  diminutive  size  and  feebleness  of  the  legs  rendering 
the  frigate  bird  incapable  of  making  any  progress  on  the 
water,  equally  disqualify  it  for  exercise  on  shore ; there, 
encumbered  by  its  vast  wings,  which  it  cannot  readily 
bring  into  vigorous  action,  (as  is  the  case  with  the  swift, 
on  a level  surface,)  it  is  obliged  to  scramble  to  the  edge  of 
a cliff  or  the  point  of  a rock,  before  it  can  launch  itself  into 
the  air,  where,  and  where  alone,  it  is  in  its  congenial  ele- 
ment. Mr.  Burton,  in  his  paper  on  the  natural  history  of 
the  Pelecanus  aqiiilus,  Linn , Tachypetes  aquila,  Vieill, 
observes,  that  besides  sweeping  off  fish  and  other  matters 
floating  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  which  it  does,  as  it 
darts  along  with  the  greatest  velocity,  it  has  another  mode 
of  supplying  itself  with  food.  “ It  is  seen  accompanying 
flocks  of  seabirds,  chiefly  the  Pelecanus  ( Sula ) piscator  ; 
as  soon  as  these  have  dived  (plunged)  after  fish,  and  begin 
to  ascend  with  the  prey  in  their  beak,  it  attacks  them,  and 
seizes  what  they  have  taken.  Wherever  a number  of  these 
birds  are  collected  in  or  near  the  water,  they  are  invariably 
accompanied  by  some  frigate  birds,  which  hover  directly 
over  them,  and  follow  them  in  their  flight.  The  food  of 
the  frigate  birds  consists  almost  entirely  of  fish,  and  chiefly 
of  the  Exocetus  volitans,  or  flying  fish,  which  are  the  most 
accessible  to  them  ; though  they  probably  occasionally  feed 
on  such  of  the  mollusca  as  come  within  their  reach,  and 
will  also  seize  pieces  of  pork,  fowls,  entrails,  or  any  animal 
substance  thrown  to  them.  A young  one  covered  with 
down,  without  any  appearance  of  feathers,  except  the  pri- 
maries of  the  wings,  and  unable  to  move,  when  taken, 
disgorged  seven  flying-fish ; and  the  stomach  and  intestines 
of  all  those  opened  were  full  of  the  bones  of  small  fish.” 
Like  the  gannet,  the  female  frigate  bird  lays  only  one  egg; 
it  builds  both  on  trees,  and  on  the  ledges  of  steep  preci- 


58 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


ravens,  and  to  notice  the  circumstances  of 
sparrows.  The  wants  of  all  his  creatures  he 
notices,  and  relieves  them  at  the  proper  time. 

In  viewing  a complicated  machine,  there 
may  be  many  minute  parts,  the  uses  of  which 
we  cannot  conjecture;  perhaps  we  may  think 
it  might  do  as  well  without  them:  but  when 
the  maker  explains  the  designs  of  all  the 
parts,  pointing  out  the  office  of  each,  or  its 
influence  on  the  general  movement,  then  we 
perceive  that  the  machine  would  be  defec- 
tive, or  incomplete,  if  but  one  pin  or  wheel 
were  wanting.  In  like  manner,  may  these 
islands  be  absolutely  necessary  for  complet- 
ing the  machinery  of  the  world:  at  any  rate, 
they  would  form  asylums  for  mariners  whose 
ships  might  founder  in  the  vicinity  of  them, 
where  they  might  find  refuge  by  means  of 
their  boats,  when  they  could  have  no  hope 
of  possibly  reaching  the  remote  shores  of 
Africa  or  America. 

February  9.  Passed  a great  deal  of  sea 
weed  during  the  day,  most  probably  driven 
from  the  shores  of  Tristan  d’Acunha  and  the 
other  islands.  We  succeeded  in  hooking  up 
a stalk  of  it,  about  two  yards  long,  full  of 
white  flowers,  the  whiteness  resembling  ice, 
and  shaped  like  the  convolvulus,  the  cup  of 
which  Avas  nearly  in  the  form  of  a pear,  of 
a light  brown  colour;  here  and  there  were 

pices,  but  in  the  latter  case  it  makes  little  or  no  nest. 
The  length  of  the  frigate  bird  is  about  three  feet,  the  ex- 
tent of  the  expanded  wings,  seven. — Edit. 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE. 


59 


leaves  almost  of  a square  shape,  only  taper- 
ing a little  towards  the  stalk.  We  were 
anxious  to  catch  more,  expecting  probably 
we  should  find  a variety,  but  were  unsuc- 
cessful. Though  they  must  have  been  sepa- 
rated for  some  time  from  the  rocks  on  which 
they  had  grown,  yet  they  appeared  vigorous. 
Indeed,  it  is  probable  that  they  do  not  derive 
nourishment  from  the  rocks  to  which  they 
are  naturally  attached,  but  entirely  from  the 
water  and  air,  so  that  they  seem  to  suffer 
little  from  their  separation. 

In  the  evening  the  sailors  had  a dance  on 
deck,  in  consequence  of  our  having  had  a fair 
wind  during  the  day;  so  pleased  were  they 
at  the  prospect  of  seeing  land  and  getting 
ashore.  The  moon  being  in  its  full,  the  sun 
and  the  moon  nearly  set  and  rose  together, 
which  was  a pleasing  sight,  no  clouds  hav- 
ing interrupted  our  view  of  it.  About  eight 
p.  m.  dew  fell  so  heavy,  that  the  deck  was 
wet  as  if  by  a shower  of  rain.  Longitude  9 
deg.  32  min.  w.,  latitude  36  deg.  42  min.  s.: 
thermometer  73. 

February  10.  No  mould  has  appeared  on 
my  trunks  since  leaving  the  tropics.  Showers 
of  rain  were  seen  around. 

February  11.  In  the  afternoon  the  rain 
poured  down  in  torrents,  and  completely  an- 
nihilated our  wind;  so  that  our  ship’s  bow 
pointed  to  South  America,  and  our  stern  to 
Africa. 

February  12.  Two  vessels  passed  us, seem- 


60 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


ingly  on  their  way  to  the  East  Indies.  Lati- 
tude 37  deg.  1 min.  s.,  so  that  we  were  near 
two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  beyond  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope.  Longitude  4 deg.  7 
min.  w. ; thermometer  70.  I put  on  stock- 
ings for  the  first  time  for  six  or  seven  weeks, 
in  consequence  of  the  coolness. 

February  13.  We  had  a fine  run  during 
the  night  of  eight  miles  an  hour,  so  that  our 
longitude  at  noon  was  reduced  to  1 deg.  3 
min.  w.,  latitude  37  deg.  29  min.  s.;  ther- 
mometer 73.  The  wind  continuing  fair  and 
strong  the  whole  day,  we  were  in  the  me- 
ridian of  London  about  eight  p.  m.;  that  is, 
had  a line  been  drawn  from  London  directly 
south  to  the  pole,  it  would  have  crossed  the 
spot  where  we  then  were.  Our  longitude 
had  hitherto  been  west  of  the  meridian  of 
London;  but,  during  the  remainder  of  the 
voyage  to  the  Cape,  it  would  be  east  of  Lon- 
don. Hitherto  time  had  been  later  with  us 
than  with  friends  in  London,  now  it  must  be 
earlier  as  we  proceed  eastward  to  the  Cape. 
From  leaving  the  south  tropic,  we  had  been 
lessening  our  distance  from  the  meridian  of 
London.  In  future  we  shall  be  increasing 
our  distance  eastward  from  that  meridian. 

February  14.  This  being  likely  to  be  the 
last  Sabbath  of  the  voyage,  and  consequently 
of  meeting  the  crew  of  the  Westmoreland,  the 
subject  chosen  for  the  discourse,  on  the  quar- 
ter deck,  was  the  last  meeting  of  mankind 
together,  previous  to  their  eternal  separation, 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE.  61 

from  Rom.  xiv.  10;  “ We  shall  all  stand  be- 
fore the  judgment  seat  of  Christ.” 

February  18.  A breeze  sprang  up  at  noon. 
Many  shell  fish  were  observed  swimming 
on  the  surface  of  the  water. 

Having  had  a fine  breeze  during  the  night, 
we  found  by  noon  that  our  longitude  was  in- 
creased to  1 1 deg.  55  min.,  so  that  our  voyage 
was  drawing  towards  a termination.  But  the 
most  trying  part  of  my  former  voyage  to  Af- 
rica, was  after  we  had  approached  the  Cape 
nearer  than  we  are  at  present,  having  had  to 
encounter  two  storms,  one  of  three  days,  and 
the  other  twenty-four  hours,  which  detained 
us  about  a fortnight  longer  from  reaching  the 
Cape. 

On  the  night  of  the  22d,  considering  our- 
selves only  about  twenty-eight  miles  distant 
from  land,  we  judged  it  safest  to  “ lay  to,” 
as  the  seamen  term  it ; that  is,  by  putting  the 
helm  and  sails  in  such  positions  as  to  prevent 
the  ship  advancing. 

February  23.  Land  was  seen  at  day-light 
in  the  morning.  On  going  on  deck,  all  were 
gratified  by  the  sight  of  the  real  Cape,  or 
most  southern  point  of  Africa.  We  sailed 
along  with  the  land  on  our  right,  admiring 
the  diversified  forms  of  the  hills,  their  strati- 
fication and  cliffs.  When  about  three  miles 
from  the  anchorage  off  Cape  Town,  we  saw 
that  a severe  gale  was  blowing  from  Table 
Mountain  across  the  bay,  from  the  clouds  of 
sand  which  it  had  raised,  and  which  some- 


62 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


times  obscured  the  shipping  at  anchor.  We 
durst  not,  therefore,  venture  to  attempt  get- 
ting round  Green  Point  in  the  roadstead,  but 
turned  the  ship  about  to  keep  her  under  shel- 
ter of  the  high  land  which  was  between  us 
and  the  wind.  On  passing  every  opening  of 
the  mountain,  a severe  gust  of  wind  rushed 
down  upon  us;  one  of  these  blew  our  jib 
sail  to  shivers,  another  tore  our  topsail  to 
pieces.  In  consequence  of  losing  these  two 
sails,  we  were  driven  about  four  miles  from 
the  land,  after  being  so  near  as  to  distinguish 
the  smallest  objects  on  shore.  We  saw  plain- 
ly the  spray  from  the  violent  surf  among 
the  rocks,  driven  like  smoke  to  a great  dis- 
tance. 

Observing  a brig  about  five  miles  to  the 
n.  w.  of  us,  which  was  also  attempting  to 
reach  the  roadstead,  get  to  the  lee  side  of 
Robin  Island,  and  cast  anchor,  we  attempted 
to  reach  the  same  spot,  and  succeeded.  We 
immediately  let  down  our  anchor,  which 
had  a strong  chain  cable;  but  this  was  no 
sooner  down,  than  the  chain  cable,  on  which 
much  dependence  was  placed,  snapped  in 
two,  as  if  it  had  been  made  of  glass,  which 
circumstance  created  astonishment  and  con- 
fusion, so  that  we  were  drifted  farther  than 
we  wished  before  we  could  possibly  get  out 
another  anchor.  The  second,  being  in  deep 
water,  did  not  hold  above  ten  minutes,  so 
that  we  were  driving  out  to  sea,  carrying  our 
anchor  suspended  from  the  bow.  We  then 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE. 


63 


tacked  inward  to  the  bay,  and  in  an  hour 
our  anchor  got  hold  again,  on  which  we 
threw  out  a small  anchor  to  assist  in  keep- 
ing us  to  the  spot. 

The  wind  continued  to  blow  hard,  attended 
with  lightning,  five  or  six  times  in  each  mi- 
nute, every  flash  appearing  at  first  like  a 
moon,  and  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  spread- 
ing in  every  direction.  Having  no  depen- 
dence on  Cape  weather,  I had  made  no  pre- 
paration for  going  on  shore,  though  most 
others  had  every  thing  packed  up,  and  were 
ready  to  go  ashore.  It  was  rather  trying  to 
these  friends,  to  be  obliged  to  unpack  in  the 
evening. 

At  ten  p.  m.,  such  was  the  pressure  of  the 
blast  that  the  ship  began  to  drag  her  anchors 
again,  but  in  a few  minutes  they  got  fast, 
and  prevented  us  from  driving  out  to  sea. 

February  24.  The  gale  continued  the 
whole  night  without  any  abatement.  In  the 
morning  we  had  a fine  view  of  three  whales,* 
within  about  two  hundred  yards  from  the 
ship,  which  frequently  showed  the  greater 
part  of  their  bodies  out  of  water.  At  one 
time,  one  of  them  raised  his  immense  tail 
perpendicularly  out  of  the  water,  as  if  either 

* The  Cachalot,  or  Spermaceti  Whale  ; PTiyseter  ma- 
crocephalus.  This  huge  whale  is  found  not  only  in  the 
northern  seas,  it  roams  through  the  great  Atlantic,  and  is 
often  seen  off  the  shores  of  Southern  Africa,  and  in  the 
Channel  of  Mozambique  : it  occurs  in  troops  in  the  South- 
ern Ocean,  and  within  the  regions  of  the  antarctic  circle. 
— Edit. 


64 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


The  Cachalot,  or  Spcrmacoli  Whale. 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE. 


65 


to  convince  us  of  his  great  strength,  or  to 
gratify  our  curiosity;  after  which  he  turned 
up  his  head,  and  spouted  water  to  a great 
height.  They  appeared  to  be  at  play,  heed- 
less of  the  stornr,  and  their  gambols  were  a 
gratifying  sight  to  us  all. 

Table  Mountain,  from  whence  the  gale 
proceeded,  continued  to  retain  its  gloomy  at- 
tire of  thick  clouds,  and  poured  forth  with 
violence  its  windy  treasures,  like  a lion  roar- 
ing from  his  den,  threatening  destruction  to 
all  who  should  approach.  At  noon  the  gale 
increased,  causing  the  ship  again  to  drag  her 
anchors  into  deeper  water,  so  that  they  did 
not,  as  on  the  preceding  night,  again  get  fast 
to  the  bottom;  but  the  captain,  unwilling  to 
lose  two  such  necessary  servants,  wished 
them  to  remain  suspended  from  our  bow: 
however,  as  there  was  no  alternative,  both 
cables  were  obliged  to  be  cut  and  committed 
to  the  deep,  for  the  preservation  of  the  ship, 
and  off  we  fled  for  refuge  to  the  ocean.  We 
had  only  one  more  anchor  left.  At  four  p.  m. 
the  gale  moderated  a little;  and,  at  the  going 
down  of  the  sun,  Table  Mountain  was  still 
in  sight,  about  twenty  miles  to  the  s.  e. 
of  us. 

Almost  every  person  on  board  complained 
of  pains  in  the  eyes,  from  the  small  sand 
driven  from  the  shore  by  the  fury  of  the 
wind. 

The  wind  blew  strong  a great  part  of  the 
night.  At  four  in  the  morning,  a wave 


66 


VOYAGE  TO  THE 


came  with  such  violence  against  the  ship’s 
bow,  as  to  awaken  most  who  were  asleep. 
At  day-light,  though  we  had  been  sailing 
from  about  midnight  in  the  direction  of  the 
shore,  no  land  could  be  seen;  however, 
about  six  a.  m.,  Table  Mountain,  with  her 
still  cloud-capped  summit,  was  descried  from 
the  deck.  We  were  pleased  to  see  the  cloud, 
which  had  appeared  to  be  immovably  rivet- 
ed to  Table  Mountain,  gradually  lessening; 
a sign  of  the  return  of  calm  weather.  By 
two  o’clock  it  was  all  gone,  so  that  it  and 
all  the  neighbouring  mountains  were  visible 
from  their  base  to  their  summits. 

The  sun,  from  the  refraction,  or  breaking 
of  the  natural  course  of  its  rays,  had  a singu- 
lar appearance  while  setting  in  the  evening; 
appearing  first  double,  as  if  there  were  two 
suns,  the  one  immediately  above  the  other ; 
then  like  an  upright,  not  a tapering,  tum- 
bler; and,  lastly,  like  an  inverted  tea  cup, 
and  another  above  it.  A cloud  skirted  the 
horizon,  to  appearance  about  six  feet  above 
it.  The  sun  had  not  disappeared  above 
twenty  minutes  when  the  new  moon  was 
visible;  the  illuminated  part  seemed  as  small 
as  cord.  The  heavens  retained,  for  half  an 
hour,  a beautiful  transparent  orange  colour, 
in  the  place  where  the  sun  went  down. 

February  26.  We  found  in  the  morning 
that  the  light  s.  w.  wind,  which  blew  in  the 
night,  had  brought  us  again  inside  Penguin, 
or  Robin  Island,  and  by  ten  o’clock  we  were 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE.  67 

opposite  to  Cape  Town,  where  we  cast  an- 
chor. 

The  harbour  master,  who  soon  came  on 
board,  informed  us,  that  owing  to  the  heavy- 
gales,  all  communication  with  the  shipping 
from  the  shore  had  been  suspended  for  a 
week. 

At  one  p.  m.  we  went  ashore  in  the  ship’s 
boat,  and  were  pleased  once  more  to  tread 
on  firm  ground,  after  being  nearly  three 
months  sailing  on  the  deep.  We  felt  grate- 
ful to  God  for  conducting  us  in  safety  to  our 
desired  haven.  Next  day,  with  great  diffi- 
culty, we  got  our  trunks  on  shore,  owing  to 
the  strength  of  the  wind,  and  because  the 
ship  lay  about  five  miles  from  the  pier. 


68 


PART  II. 


CAPE  TOWN. 

Cape  Town,  the  capital  of  the  colony  of  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  or  country  of  the  Hot- 
tentots, is  large,  and  laid  out  after  a regular 
plan,  containing  many  spacious  streets,  with 
superb  houses.  These  are  generally  painted 
white  in  front,  and  have  a terrace,  on  which 
the  families  walk  in  the  cool  of  the  evening, 
which  gives  them  a fine  appearance.  In- 
deed, a stranger,  on  his  arrival  from  Europe, 
could  hardly  expect  to  find  so  elegant  a town; 
and  should  he  arrive  early  in  the  morning, 
or  towards  evening,  he  would  be  surprised 
to  see  covered  wagons,  drawn  by  twelve, 
fourteen,  and  sixteen  oxen,  hastening  to  the 
centre  of  the  town,  the  front  oxen  led  by  a 
black  lad,  or  a Hottentot,  almost  without  a 
covering,  with  a boor*  sitting  on  the  front  of 
the  wagon,  wearing  a broad  brimmed  hat,  and 
dexterously  using  an  immense  whip,  lashing 
oxen  thirty  or  forty  feet  from  him.  He  will 
also  be  struck  by  observing  people  in  the 
street  of  every  hue,  from  the  purest  white 
down  to  jet  black.  When  night  comes,  he 


* A Dutch  farmer. 


CAPE  TOWN. 


G9 


will  be  disappointed  at  finding  no  lamps  on 
the  sides  of  those  fine  streets,  to  show  him 
his  way;  though  he  will  see  lights,  in  lan- 
terns, moving  in  all  directions,  carried  by 
slaves,  who  dare  not  be  found  out  of  doors 
after  dark  without  a lantern;  for,  if  so  found, 
they  are  immediately  taken  by  watchers  to 
the  tronk,  or  prison,  from  which  they  cannot 
be  released  without  both  trouble  and  expense 
to  their  masters. 

Most  strangers  are  delighted  with  the 
walks  in  what  is  called  the  Company’s  Gar- 
dens. The  principal  walks  have  a row  of 
oaks  on  each  side;  the  branches,  with  their 
thick  foliage,  forming  a complete  arch  over 
the  walk,  effectually  screen  the  passenger 
from  the  powerful  rays  of  an  almost  vertical 
sun.  These  walks  are  ornamented,  on  both 
sides,  with  lovely  hedges  of  myrtle.  Few  of 
the  natives  are  ever  to  be  found  in  them 
during  the  heat  of  the  day,  in  consequence  of 
their  dining  early,  and  afterwards  going  to 
bed  for  about  a couple  of  hours.  From  the 
hours  of  ten  in  the  morning  till  four  o’clock 
in  the  afternoon,  few  persons  appear  in  the 
streets  excepting  slaves.  The  Sabbath  being 
the  slaves’  holiday,  every  street  and  road 
around  the  town  swarms  with  them:  the 
generality  of  them  having  as  little  knowledge 
of  God  and  revealed  truths  as  the  natives  of 
the  interior  of  Africa,  who  have  never  seen 
a white  man  or  a printed  leaf. 

I shall  now  relate  some  occurrences  which 
7 


70 


CAPE  TOWN. 


took  place,  while  our  wagons  were  prepar- 
ing for  our  journeys  into  the  interior.  I 
shall  relate  them  in  the  order  in  which  they 
occurred. 

March  2,  1 S 1 9.  There  are  a considerable 
number  of  Malays,  from  the  East  Indies,  in 
Cape  Town;  many  of  whom  are  slaves,  and 
almost  all  of  them  are  Mohammedans.  The 
delusions  of  the  false  prophet  have,  of  late 
years,  spread  very  extensively  among  the 
si  aves,  through  the  ignorance  in  which  they 
are  left  by  their  masters. 

I witnessed  to-day  a Malay  funeral.  The 
coffin  was  carried  to  the  grave  suspended  by 
poles,  which  rested  on  the  shoulders  of  four 
men,  the  whole  somewhat  resembling  a hand 
barrow  for  carrying  stones,  covered  with  a 
white  sheet  suspended  by  a slight  arch  of 
canes.  The  grave,  which  was  deep,  was 
dug  on  the  side  of  Lionrump  Hill.  For  a 
few  minutes  after  the  arrival  of  the  corpse, 
and  while  placing  it  in  the  grave,  a tempo- 
rary roof  remained  on  the  grave,  and  the  at- 
tendants, to  the  number  of  about  sixty  per- 
sons, stood  holding  up  both  hands,  muttering 
something.  Then  taking  off  the  covering, 
six  men  commenced  throwing  in  the  earth 
with  spades.  While  this  was  performing, 
the  attendants  stood  conversing  in  groups, 
sometimes  laughing  aloud. 

When  the  grave  was  filled,  a Mohamme- 
dan priest  sat  down  by  its  side,  took  a roll 
from  his  pocket,  and  immediately  commenced 


CAPE  TOWN. 


71 


reading,  or  rather  chanting  the  contents  of  it. 
As  very  little  appeared  to  be  written  in  the 
roll,  he  must  have  read  it  over  many  times. 
On  finishing  this  paper,  he  rolled  it  up,  and, 
looking  around  upon  the  people  present,  pro- 
nounced something  that  sounded  to  me  like 
allah-hi-tee  .*  The  whole  company  then 

joined  in  repeating  the  same  words,  allah- 
hi-tee,  allah-hi-tee,  the  priest  always  taking 
the  lead.  I remained  listening  for  about  half 
an  hour  to  the  whole  company  repeating  it 
as  fast  as  they  could;  when  feeling  tired,  I 
walked  off,  meditating  on  the  scene  as  a com- 
ment on  our  Lord’s  direction  to  his  follow- 
ers, Matt.  vi.  7,  “ Eut  when  ye  pray,  use  not 
vain  repetitions,  as  the  heathen  do:  for  they 
think  that  they  shall  be  heard  for  their  much 
speaking.”  The  Lord’s  prayer  which  he 
taught  his  disciples,  is  very  short,  but  mar- 
vellously comprehensive,  and  contains  not 
one  repetition! 

March  6.  The  Cadres,  the  next  nation 
beyond  the  colony  on  the  eastern  side  of 
Africa,  are  become  extremely  troublesome. 
They  lately  attacked  Theopolis,  our  nearest 
missionary  station  to  them;  but,  though 
beaten  off,  they  succeeded  in  capturing  six 
or  seven  hundred  head  of  cattle,  belonging 
to  the  poor  Hottentots  at  that  station.  They 
attacked  likewise  the  Moravian  settlement, 
from  which  they  were  also  beaten  off,  but 


* Allah  is  the  Arabic  for  God. 


72 


CAPE  TOWN. 


not  till  they  had  done  much  damage.  The 
gospel  alone  can  tame  these  ferocious,  sa- 
vage men. 

March  17.  Went  with  my  kind  host,  Mr. 
Breda,  in  his  chariot,  to  visit  his  uncle,  at 
Rondebosch,  behind,  or  on  the  south  side  of 
Table  Mountain,  under  the  north  front  of 
which  stands  Cape  Town.  The  morning 
was  sultry.  On  the  way,  we  halted  a while 
at  a muster  of  boors  (farmers)  of  the  Cape 
district,  who  were  to  march  against  the 
Cadres  on  the  morrow;  a march  of  about  six 
hundred  miles.  Carriages,  gigs,  and  wagons, 
full  of  people  from  the  town,  were  on  the 
ground  to  witness  the  scene.  The  landdrost, 
or  sheriff,  was  arranging  the  business  in  a 
tent,  on  the  front  of  which  was  a crown,  and 
under  it  were  painted  the  letters,  G.  R.  and 
C.  V.  justitie.  He  was  appointing  corpo- 
rals, then  selecting  the  ten  men  whom  each 
corporal  was  to  command,  and  allotting  a 
tent  to  each  ten.  I learned  that  some  of 
them  were  very  averse  to  the  expedition.  I 
was  pleased  to  observe  that  no  liquor  of  any 
kind  was  to  be  seen  on  the  ground.  I only 
saw  two  black  men  carrying  about  baskets, 
containing  cakes  to  be  disposed  of;  but  I 
noticed  no  purchasers.  How  different  the 
scene  would  have  been,  had  a similar  collec- 
tion of  people  been  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
London!  but  there  is  more  sobriety  here. 

On  proceeding  on  our  way,  we  passed 
several  very  elegant  mansions,  all  painted  as 


CAPE  TOWN. 


73 


white  as  snow.  This  whiteness  throws  off 
the  heat  of  the  sun’s  powerful  rays,  and  con- 
sequently renders  the  house  cooler  within. 
The  stupendous  cliff  of  Table  Mountain  being 
immediately  behind  those  houses,  on  the 
right  hand  side  of  the  road,  greatly  added  to 
the  grandeur  of  their  appearance.  We  passed 
the  governor’s  house,  called  Newlands,  on 
the  left ; and  a little  farther  brought  us  to 
Rondebosch,  where  dwelt  the  uncle  of  my 
friend,  in  a handsome  mansion.  We  found 
a large  party  had  finished  dining  some  time 
before  our  arrival,  but  they  soon  placed  be- 
fore us,  an  abundant  meal.  The  old  gentle- 
man, Mr.  Breda,  was  extremely  lively,  and 
was  free  and  kind  to  all  his  guests;  all  could 
easily  perceive  they  were  welcome.  He 
walked  with  us  over  part  of  his  extensive 
grounds;  he  showed  us  one  of  his  vineyards, 
which  he  had  planted  only  five  months  be- 
fore, which  was  thriving  remarkably. 

On  returning  from  our  ramble,  we  found 
the  ladies  taking  coffee  at  a table  in  the  great 
hall,  opposite  the  front  door;  and  the  gen- 
tlemen having  theirs  brought  to  them  on  the 
terrace,  in  front  of  the  house,  to  enjoy  as 
much  coolness  as  they  could.  High  trees  so 
thickly'  stood  around  the  house,  that  it  ap- 
peared as  in  the  middle  of  a forest;  and  many 
of  them  being  chestnut,  the  ground  under 
them  was  strewed  with  their  fruit.  Mr. 
Breda  pointed  to  a limb  of  a tree  standing 
next  his  house:  “On  coming  out  the  other 


74 


CAPE  TOWN. 


morning,”  said  he,  “ we  observed  a tiger 
standing  on  that  limb;  we  instantly  ran  for 
our  guns,  and  shot  him  dead.” 

Before  setting  off  for  Cape  Town,  we 
were  noticing  the  beauty  and  calmness  of  the 
evening,  which  made  Mr.  Breda  look  up- 
wards to  the  summit  of  Table  Mountain,  and, 
seeing  it  was  covered  with  a dense  white 
cloud,  he  said  there  was  a severe  gale  on  the 
other  side  of  the  mountain.  “ And,”  said 
he,  “you  will  feel  it  when  you  turn  the  cor- 
ner.” The  truth  of  this  remark  we  expe- 
rienced on  our  return.  For  the  first  two  or 
three  miles,  hardly  a leaf  was  moved  by 
wind;  but  we  had  no  sooner  proceeded 
round  the  east  end  of  the  mountain,  than 
we  saw  dense  clouds  of  sand  furiously  flying 
over  Cape  Town;  all  the  ships  in  the  roads 
were  enveloped  in  the  cloud  of  sand,  which 
also  extended  far  beyond  them  in  the  ocean. 
The  wind  blew  directly  from  the  front  of  the 
mountain : this  furious  stream  of  air  was  not 
much  above  a mile  in  breadth.  Except  the 
cloud  which  clung  to  the  mountain,  there 
was  not  another  to  be  seen  in  any  direction. 

As  we  rode  out  during  the  heat  of  the  day, 
I was  astonished  to  observe  the  rapidity  with 
which  the  Mozambique  slaves  trotted  along 
with  considerable  burdens,  suspended  at  both 
ends  of  a pole,  which  was  laid  across  their 
shoulders;  indeed,  some  of  them  kept  up 
with  our  vehicle,  though  drawn  by  two  hor- 
ses, while  the  thermometer  must  have  been 


CAPE  TOWN. 


75 


at  about  90  deg.  One  could  not  but  desire 
they  might  possess  the  hope  of  eternal  life 
through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  that  their  minds 
might  have  a source  of  comfort  to  support 
them  under  the  tiresome  and  unwearied  toils 
of  an  unfriendly  world.  The  gospel,  in  a 
peculiar  sense,  ought  to  be  good  news  to  men 
so  circumstanced.  The  mercy,  grace,  and 
salvation  of  Christ,  are  equally  free  to  the 
lowest,  the  most  debased,  despised,  and  op- 
pressed of  mankind,  as  to  the  most  opulent 
and  honourable. 

The  land,  for  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  round 
Cape  Town,  is  chiefly  sand,  and  consequent- 
ly extremely  barren,  except  that  immediately 
surrounding  Table  Mountain,  which  is  very 
fertile,  arising  from  the  abundance  of  water 
flowing  in  copious  streams  from  that  moun- 
tain reservoir,  with  which  the  vineyards  and 
gardens  are  irrigated.  The  owners  have  a 
ready  market  in  Cape  Town  for  whatever 
their  land  produces,  especially  their  corn  and 
wine.  The  ships  of  various  nations,  touch- 
ing for  supplies,  greatly  increase  the  con- 
sumption. 

March  19.  We  called  upon  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Fleck,  senior  minister  of  the  colony,  who  has 
been  here  from  the  year  17S1.  His  house 
stands  in  the  midst  of  charming  gardens,  to 
which  there  is  a gradual  ascent  from  the 
town.  The  view  from  his  windows  is  ex- 
tensive and  variegated,  including  the  coun- 


76 


CAPE  TOWN. 


try  beyond  the  town,  which  it  completely 
overlooks,  the  company’s  gardens,  and  the 
shipping  in  the  bay.  Along  the  whole  front 
of  the  house  is  suspended  on  pillars  an  open 
treilised  roof,  perhaps  thirty  yards  in  length 
by  three  in  breadth,  from  which  hang  innu- 
merable clusters  of  grapes,  which  give  it  a 
most  interesting  appearance,  and  form  an 
agreeable  shade  to  those  who  choose  to  walk 
on  the  terrace.  Most  of  the  houses  around 
have  something  similar  in  front.  In  the  gar- 
den we  observed  the  banana,  palms,  and 
other  tropical  plants,  growing  luxuriantly. 

We  preach,  every  Sabbath  morning  and 
afternoon,  in  the  Orphan  House,  at  the  side 
of  the  town:  and  we  also  preach  in  a large 
school  house,  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  in 
the  evening.  The  Orphan  House  is  built  in 
the  form  of  a cross,  and  were  it  filled  with 
seats  would  accommodate  about  a thousand 
persons.  We  had  one  of  the  wings  supplied 
with  benches  used  in  the  school.  It  has  a 
considerable  echo,  which  renders  it  difficult 
to  speak  in.  The  building  was  intended  for 
an  orphan  asylum,  but  only  six  or  eight  or- 
phans have  yet  been  received  into  it.  There 
are  only  a small  number  of  needy  orphans, 
most  free  people  who  die  having  sufficient 
property  to  leave  behind  them  for  the  sup- 
port of  their  children;  and  the  children  of 
slaves  being,  like  their  parents,  the  property 
of  their  masters,  must  be  supported  by  them. 


CAPE  TOWN. 


I i 

In  consequence  of  this  being  the  state  of 
things,  this  spacious  edifice  remains  almost 
untenanted. 

Some  hundreds  of  prize  slaves,  or  appren- 
tices as  they  are  called,  have  been  brought 
into  the  colony  since  the  abolition  of  the 
slave  trade,  from  slave  ships  captured  and 
carrried  into  this  port.  Lately  a Portuguese 
slave  ship  came  into  Table  Bay,  from  stress 
of  weather  or  scarcity  of  provisions.  During 
a violent  gale  of  wind  this  vessel  was  driven 
on  shore,  when  most  of  the  slaves  were  saved 
by  the  strenuous  exertions  of  people  from 
the  shore ; having  been  landed  on  a British 
settlement,  the  Portuguese  captain  was  not 
permitted  to  re-ship  them  as  slaves,  but  they 
were  all  detained  by  the  government,  and 
distributed  among  masters  as  apprentices,  for 
fourteen  years,  under  a written  covenant  to 
teach  them  the  Christian  religion,  some  trade, 
and  also  reading.  The  children  of  these  ap- 
prentices are  all  to  be  free,  and  will  by  and 
by  afford  an  opportunity  to  families  that  feel 
reluctant  to  possess  slaves  to  provide  them- 
selves with  free  servants.  I believe  there  are 
many  families  who  have  slaves,  among  the 
native  population  of  Cape  Town,  who  would 
prefer  being  without  them,  if  they  knew  how 
to  obtain  free  servants. 

Opposite  to  my  window,  a slave  child,  a 
boy,  about  eighteen  months  old,  fell  and  hurt 
his  fingers  on  the  gravel,  which  made  him 
cry  both  loud  and  long.  A little  slave  girl, 
8 


78 


CAPE  TOWN. 


only  two  years  and  a half  old,  sat  on  the 
ground  beside  him,  gently  clapping  him  on 
the  back,  and  singing  to  him  to  comfort  him. 
The  little  fellow  frequently  held  out  his  finger 
to  her  where  he  felt  the  pain,  which  she 
kindly  examined  while  continuing  her  little 
childish  song.  I knew  the  sweet  temper  of 
this  little  black  girl,  but  I never  had  before 
observed  it  so  disinterestedly  displayed,  for 
she  did  not  know  that  any  person  witnessed 
her  conduct  on  the  occasion. 

Many  of  the  slaves  have  the  Sabbath  en- 
tirely to  themselves.  A number  of  them 
spend  it  in  collecting  and  bringing  firewood 
from  the  mountains,  or  rushes  for  litter  for 
horses,  which  they  dispose  of  in  the  town; 
others  employ  their  time  in  selling  grapes, 
fish,  and  other  articles,  having  never  been 
taught  the  fear  of  God  or  the  knowledge  of 
his  will.  But  I hope  better  times  are  ap- 
proaching, when  all  shall  be  taught  to  know 
the  Lord,  from  the  least  to  the  greatest,  from 
the  slave  to  the  governor;  for  all  are  equally 
exposed  to  the  condemnation  of  God,  for 
breaking  his  commandments,  and  all  are 
equally  invited  to  receive  salvation  by  Jesus 
Christ. 

March  26.  Having  resolved  to  ascend  to 
the  summit  of  Table  Mountain,  and  the  wea- 
ther appearing  suitable  for  such  an  excursion, 
we  left  Cape  Town  about  ten  o’clock,  a.  m. 
Our  little  party  consisted  of  Dr.  P.,  Mr.  T. 
from  Southampton,  Mr.  R.  from  London, 


CAPE  TOWN.  79 

Mr.  E.  from  Bethelsdorp,  and  myself,  with 
two  Hottentots. 

We  went  forward,  ascending  by  the  side 
of  a brook,  where  scores  of  slaves  were  em- 
ployed in  washing  clothes,  by  rubbing  them 
over  with  soap  and  cold  water,  and  beating 
them  violently  on  smooth  stones.  Most  of 
them  were  blacks,  from  Mozambique;  others 
were  women  of  colour,  with  about  half  a 
dozen  men.  In  general  they  appeared  very 
cheerful,  singing  the  songs  of  their  native 
country;  they  scarcely  took  the  smallest  no- 
tice of  us  as  we  passed  them;  indeed,  when 
Mr.  E.,  who  was  behind,  and  hastened  to 
join  us,  inquired  if  they  had  seen  three  or 
four  gentlemen  pass  lately,  they  said  they 
had  not. 

Before  we  reached  the  steep  part  of  the 
ascent,  it  began  to  rain,  which  obliged  us 
to  take  shelter  under  an  overhanging  rock. 
When  the  rain  had  almost  ceased,  we  recom- 
menced our  labour.  Though  the  bottom  of 
the  stupendous  cliffs  of  the  mountain  appear- 
ed near  us,  we  were  much  longer  in  reaching 
them  than  we  had  calculated:  their  bulk  de- 
ceived us.  At  length,  after  much  scrambling, 
we  reached  the  bottom  of  the  kloof,  or  only 
passage  by  which  the  summit  is  accessible. 
It  is  a steep  ascent  between  two  lofty  crags, 
the  top  of  which  appeared  so  near,  that  we 
expected  half  an  hour’s  exertion  would  ter- 
minate our  toil;  but  after  struggling  for  an 
hour,  the  top  appeared  as  distant  as  before. 


80 


CAPE  TOWN. 


However,  after  ascending  as  fast  as  possible 
for  three  hours  and  a half  from  the  time  we 
commenced,  we  were  standing  on  the  pinna- 
cle of  the  mountain,  surveying  the  world  be- 
low, and  feeling  gratified  that  we  had  perse- 
vered. 

With  much  pleasure  we  looked  down  upon 
the  gardens  under  the  mountain,  four  thou- 
sand feet  lower  than  the  spot  on  which  we 
stood.  We  saw  Cape  Town,  the  bay,  and 
the  country  as  far  as  the  Moravian  settlement 
at  Groene  Kloof;  likewise  Hottentot  Holland, 
Stellenbosch,  and  Dragenstein  Mountains, 
including  the  intervening  plains. 

We  found  the  summit  to  be  an  extensive 
plain,  but  we  were  afraid  to  remove  from 
the  spot  to  which  we  had  ascended,  as  some- 
times a dense  cloud  will  cover  the  top  in  the 
course  of  a very  few  minutes,  which  would 
render  it  extremely  difficult  to  find  out  the 
place  to  descend.  In  this  way,  a few  years 
ago,  two  officers  were  bewildered,  and  were 
not  able  to  retrace  their  way  to  the  kloof.  In 
the  attempt  to  find  it,  one  of  them  fell  over  a 
cliff,  and  was  dashed  to  pieces.  Being  thus 
warned,  none  of  us  ventured  out  of  sight  of 
the  kloof.  We  slightly  examined  a few  of 
the  plants  we  found  growing  around,  and 
were  pleased  to  observe  two  or  three  of  the 
heaths  found  in  Britain.  Great  part  of  the 
surface  we  saw  was  covered  with  large  flat 
rocks,  as  if  paved  with  huge  flag  stones.  I 
saw  afterwards,  about  a thousand  miles  up 


CAPE  TOWN. 


81 


the  country,  two  or  three  large  districts  paved 
much  in  the  same  way,  not  on  hills,  but  on 
the  plain. 

From  the  rain  that  had  fallen  a little  be- 
fore, we  found  plenty  of  water  to  quench 
our  thirst  in  hollow  parts  of  the  rock,  which 
greatly  refreshed  us.  Lest  darkness  should 
overtake  us,  we  hastily  took  a last  view  of 
the  varied  and  extended  scenery  below  us, 
and  hastened  down  the  kloof  to  a projecting 
rock,  about  one  thousand  feet  below,  while 
the  clouds  were  plentifully  pouring  down 
upon  us  their  watery  treasures.  Getting  un- 
der covert  of  the  rock,  we  were  protected  from 
the  rain,  and  had  an  opportunity  of  partaking 
of  some  victuals  we  had  brought  with  us, 
which  we  did  with  good  appetites  and  great 
haste.  No  sooner  had  we  concluded  our  re- 
past, than  we  recommenced  our  descent. 
We  were  all  soon  drenched  with  rain,  and 
covered  with  dirt,  from  falls  and  rubs  against 
rocks  we  had  to  pass.  But  for  the  rain  we 
might,  now  and  then,  have  halted  to  rest 
ourselves,  which  we  needed,  for  we  felt  the 
descent  much  more  fatiguing  than  the  ascent; 
but  the  rain  obliged  us  to  continue  our  exer- 
tions without  cessation,  not  only  to  the  foot 
of  the  mountain,  but  until  we  reached  our 
homes,  which  we  happily  effected  about  half- 
past four  in  the  afternoon,  some  of  us  being 
completely  exhausted.  As  the  country  stood 
so  much  in  need  of  rain,  we  could  not  mur- 
mur because  of  our  exposure  to  it.  Thus 


82 


CAPE  TOWN. 


terminated  an  expedition  I had  often  resolved 
to  attempt,  daring  my  former  visit  to  Africa, 
without  having  accomplished  it. 

March  28.  After  preaching  in  the  morning 
at  the  Orphan  House,  I afterwards  went  to 
Somerset  Hospital,  and  held  conversation 
with  the  patients,  who  were  mostly  seamen. 
One,  who  was  afflicted  with  dropsy,  about 
fifty  years  of  age,  had  been  many  voyages  to 
India.  He  had  made  a little  money,  and, 
poor  fellow  ! was  very  anxious  to  get  home 
to  live  upon  what  he  had  acquired;  but  his 
desire  was  not  likely  to  be  gratified.  He  was, 
as  might  be  expected,  very  ignorant,  but  was 
very  willing  to  hear  what  I said  to  him. 

Another,  of  the  name  of  Campbell,  from  a 
South  Sea  whaler,  who  was  born  at  Belfast, 
said,  that  when  young  he  would  not  attend 
to  his  education.  He  was  now  reduced,  by 
a flux  and  constant  internal  pain,  to  a weak 
state.  He  professed  to  be  certain,  that  if  he 
got  better  he  should  repent,  and  never  live 
again  such  a life  as  he  had  done.  Having 
stated  to  him  the  depravity  of  our  nature,  the 
deceitfulness  of  the  human  heart,  the  enmity 
of  the  natural  mind  against  God  and  every 
thing  good,  the  necessity  of  being  born  again, 
and  other  truths,  with  my  fears  that,  were  he 
to  recover,  he  would  very  probably  relapse 
to  his  former  conduct,  he  again  expressed  his 
conviction  that  he  never  could  live  as  he  had 
formerly  been  accustQmed  to  do.  But,  alas! 


CAPE  TOWN.  83 

how  often  have  similar  resolutions  been  made 
and  broken ! 

Another  patient,  a stone  mason,  was  em- 
ployed in  reading  the  History  of  London. 
When  I told  him  that  I thought  he  might  be 
much  better  employed  on  the  sabbath  day, 
in  reading  the  Scriptures  or  some  religious 
book,  he  said,  he  thought  there  was  no  harm 
in  reading  the  History  of  London,  which  he 
was  sure  was  a good  book.  His  companions 
near  him  were  much  of  the  same  mind. 

March  30.  Mrs.  Breda,  my  kind  hostess, 
mentioned  an  effectual  way  for  obtaining 
complete  relief  from  the  toothache,  which 
was  adopted  by  one  of  her  mother’s  slaves. 
Having  been  troubled  for  some  time  by  pain- 
ful attacks  of  toothache,  he  one  day  went  out 
and  got  the  whole  of  his  teeth  extracted.  On 
returning  home,  it  was  soon  discovered,  by 
the  alteration  on  his  countenance,  what  he 
had  done.  When  asked  his  reason  for  acting 
so  strangely,  he  said,  he  thought  it  better  to 
have  his  pain  taken  away  at  once,  than  to  be 
always  troubled  by  it;  not  reflecting  on  the 
inconvenience  he  thereby  brought  upon  him- 
self for  life.  The  females  of  the  Coranna 
Hottentots  are  equally  unthinking  in  this  re- 
spect. Should  they  feel  a pain  in  their  shoul- 
der, they  will  cut  off  the  first  joint  of  their 
little  finger,  merely  to  let  blood;  and,  should 
they  afterwards  feel  pain  in  their  elbow,  they 
cut  off  the  second  joint  of  the  same  finger, 
hoping  by  the  bleeding  to  be  relieved  from 


84 


CAPE  TOWN. 


the  present  pain;  not  thinking  of  the  incon- 
venience for  life  they  subject  themselves  to 
by  the  loss  of  a finger,  merely  to  get  relief 
from  a temporary  pain.  From  imbecility  of 
mind,  they  literally  do  not  think  of  to-morrow. 

The  price  of  grain  has  risen  lately  to  a fear- 
ful height,  owing  to  a bad  crop  in  some  dis- 
tricts in  the  colony;  but  I was  told  to-day, 
that  in  the  district  of  Bokkeveld,  to  the  north 
of  the  Cape,  grain  was  plenty  and  cheap; 
yet  the  land  carriage  being  so  expensive,  little 
of  it  finds  its  way  to  Cape  Town.  Were 
there  navigable  rivers,  or  their  substitutes, 
canals;  or  were  there  harbours  along  the 
coast,  which  there  are  not,  markets  could  be 
easily  supplied;  but,  for  want  of  these,  they 
must  depend  upon  the  immediate  neighbour- 
hood of  the  Cape,  and  Algoa  Bay,  five  hun 
dred  miles  off,  where  vessels  can  take  in  sup- 
plies. The  supplies  sent  to  St.  Helena  have 
increased  the  scarcity,  there  being  many  more 
soldiers  and  sailors  there  now  than  in  former 
years,  kept  to  guard  Bonaparte.  St.  Helena 
can  do  but  very  little  for  supporting  its  inha- 
bitants: without  supplies  from  Africa  and 
America,  all  would  be  starved. 

April  1.  Our  friend,  Mr.  Beck,  who  had 
for  some  time  been  agent  for  the  Missionary 
Society  in  South  Africa,  called,  with  a four 
horse  wagon,  to  take  us  on  a visit  to  his 
friends  at  Constantia.  Our  road  lay  round 
Table  Mountain  as  before  when  going  to 
Rondebosch,  which  we  passed.  We  went 


cape  town. 


85 


through  the  village  of  Wineberg,  composed 
of  straggling  houses,  which  were  formerly 
used  as  barracks,  but  now  deserted,  except 
a few  of  the  best  of  them,  which  are  occu- 
pied by  officers  of  the  army  as  country 
houses.  The  road  then,  for  two  or  three 
miles,  passed  through  a natural  forest  of 
shrubs,  truly  beautiful.  We  stopped  first  at 
Madeira  Farm,  where  we  were  kindly  re- 
ceived, and  treated  with  what  they  called 
tiffin,  a luncheon,  consisting  of  a variety  of 
fruits  and  light  food.  We  had  a delightful 
walk  over  their  garden;  and  an  agreeable 
rest  and  conversation  in  a beautiful  summer 
house,  composed  of  oak  trees,  where  we 
were  quite  screened  from  the  sun’s  scorching 
rays. 

Leaving  Madeira  Farm,  we  walked  to 
Constantia,  about  a mile  nearer  the  moun- 
tain. The  mansion,  like  the  one  we  had 
left,  was  a princely  edifice;  the  wine  stores 
extensive  and  superb,  and  the  vineyards 
around  were  very  interesting.  The  ground 
is  uneven,  and  each  vineyard  being  surround- 
ed by  tall  oak  trees,  the  place  appeared  like 
a wood.  The  spot  on  which  the  house, 
stores,  and  other  buildings  stand,  has  been 
wisely  chosen  on  an  eminence,  having  an 
extensive  view  of  the  country  and  the  In- 
dian Ocean.  We  had  a second  tiffin,  and  a 
glass  of  Constantia  wine,  on  the  farm  where 
alone  it  is  produced.  Slips  from  the  Con- 
stantia vine  have  been  tried  in  various  parts 


86 


CAPE  TOWN. 


of  the  Cape  colony;  but  away  from  their 
favourite  native  soil,  they  never  produce 
grapes  of  the  same  flavour  as  they  do  at 
what  may  be  called  their  home. 

April  13.  The  rain  has  fallen  in  torrents 
the  whole  day,  attended  with  much  light- 
ning and  some  thunder.  It  will  carry  off  a 
deal  of  filth  which  has  been  accumulating 
before  many  of  the  houses  of  the  poorer  sort 
for  the  last  eight  or  nine  months,  which  will 
greatly  refresh  the  town.  The  gardens  also, 
which  have  long  languished  for  want  of 
water,  will  now  be  softened,  dug,  and  sown, 
and  soon  will  send  forth  vegetables,  of  which 
there  is  great  need  at  present. 

April  15.  We  walked  to  the  kloof,  or 
pass  between  Table  Mountain  and  the  Liou’s 
Head,  which  is  at  the  head  of  the  road 
where  I reside:  the  road  is  an  ascent  for 
about  three  miles.  On  reaching  the  kloof, 
there  opens  an  extensive  view  of  the  sea  at 
Camp’s  Bay.  We  halted  at  what  is  called  a 
fort,  where  only  two  soldiers  were  stationed. 
Their  minds  seemed  to  be  much  injured  by 
having  nothing  to  do;  they  were  listless  and 
indolent.  Even  Adam,  in  innocence,  had 
work  assigned  to  him ; he  was  to  prune  the 
trees  of  paradise:  and  we  are  sure  there  is 
not  one  idle  angel  in  heaven  ; for  we  are  told 
they  are  all  ministering  spirits,  sent  forth  to 
minister. 

Taking  leave  of  the  soldiers,  we  walked 
gently  down  the  hill  towards  the  ocean,  ob- 


CAPE  TOWN. 


87 


serving  its  foaming  billows  fruitlessly,  though 
furiously,  dashing  against  the  rocks  which 
defend  the  land;  but  retiring  with  far  less 
noise  and  bustle  than  they  had  advanced,  as 
if  ashamed  of  their  imbecility;  for  God  lias 
set  bounds  to  his  sea,  in  both  hemispheres, 
saying  to  it,  “Hitherto  shalt  thou  come,  but 
no  further:  and  here  shall  thy  proud  waves 
be  stayed,”  Job  xxxviii.  11;  and  his  word 
must  be  obeyed. 

I had  the  pleasure,  in  the  evening,  of  meet- 
ing with  three  interesting  strangers,  whom 
our  missionary,  Mr.  Moffat,  had  brought 
with  him  from  Namaqualand.  The  first, 
Christian  Africaner,  once  a plundering  chief, 
and  the  terror  of  that  part  of  the  colony, 
which,  from  its  position,  was  most  exposed 
to  his  attacks  and  depredations,  and  the  man 
whom  I was  most  afraid  to  meet  when 
crossing  the  African  continent  on  ray  former 
tour.  The  second  was  a man  from  Damara, 
the  country  beyond  Great  Namaqualand. 
The  third,  a Bootchuana  from  Leyesey’s 
Kraal,  or  town,  not  far  from  Lattakoo.  A 
most  interesting  group ! 

I could  not  but  view  with  astonishment 
the  change  that  grace  had  made  on  Africaner, 
saying,  in  my  mind,  “ Is  this  the  man  who 
was  the  terror  of  tribes  far  up  Africa,  when  I 
was  travelling  among  them  only  a few  years 
ago  ! Is  this  the  man  who  burned  to  ashes 
our  mission  station  at  Warm  Bath,  which 
had  some  influence  in  bringing  about  the 


88 


CAPE  TOWN. 


death  of  our  excellent  missionary,  Mrs.  Al- 
bright! Is  this  the  man  who  now  loves  Jesus 
Christ,  and  us  for  his  sake  l” 

During  the  evening  these  three  strangers 
were  shown  a kaleidoscope,  which  was  then 
a new  invention,  and  attracted  very  great 
notice.  Africaner,  who  appeared  always 
grave,  viewed  it  with  an  unaltered  counte- 
nance, except  a pleasant  smile  at  any  parti- 
cular change  in  the  form  within,  when  he 
turned  it  round.  Both  the  Damara  and  the 
Bootchuana  were  far  more  affected.  When, 
by  turning  the  kaleidoscope,  the  form  of  the 
objects  within  was  instantaneously  altered, 
they  were  startled  as  if  they  had  received  an 
electric  shock;  they  hastily  gave  up  the  in- 
strument, placed  their  hands  on  their  eyes, 
turned  their  heads  to  the  wall,  and  laughed 
aloud,  after  which  they  returned  to  take 
another  look.  Nothing  could  be  more  na- 
tural than  their  expressions  of  surprise  and 
astonishment. 

They  were  similarly  affected  by  being 
placed  opposite  to  a looking  glass,  which 
happened  to  be  in  the  room  where  they  were. 
The  Damara  man  said,  he  did  not  understand 
how  he  could  be  here,  pointing  to  his  body, 
and  also  there,  pointing  to  the  glass.  They 
also  viewed  a watch  with  peculiar  interest. 

They  went  next  to  visit  Dr.  Philip,  who 
lay  sick  in  his  bed  room.  On  their  return, 
we  asked  them  to  sit  in  the  middle  of  the 
room  while  we  held  a conversation  with 


CAPE  TOWN.  89 

them.  I had  the  following  conversation  with 
Africaner: 

“ Did  you  hear  of  my  travelling  down  the 
Great  Orange  River,  about  six  years  ago  ?” 
“ Yes.” 

“ Where  did  you  reside  then  ?”  “ On  the 
north  side  of  the  Great  River,  about  seventy 
miles  higher  up  than  opposite  to  Pella.” 

“ Did  you  receive  a letter  from  me,  that  I 
sent  you  from  Pella?”  “Yes.” 

“Who  brought  it  to  you?”  “Abraham,  a 
man  from  the  Griqua  country,  a friend  of 
mine,  who  came  down  the  Great  River  with 
you;  he  brought  it  to  me.” 

“Who  read  my  letter  to  you?”  “Yagher, 
my  brother,  now  called  David,  who  could 
read,  read  it  to  me.” 

“How  did  you  receive  what  the  letter  of- 
fered to  you  ?”  “ I was  glad  of  the  offer  of  a 
missionary.  I had  long,  in  my  heart,  wished 
for  a teacher.” 

“ Did  you  get  an  answer  written  to  the 
letter?”  “Yes;  my  brother  Yagher  wrote  an 
answer,  and  we  sent  it  by  a man  to  the  Gri- 
qua country,  and  from  there  it  was  sent  to 
the  colony,  to  go  to  you  at  the  Cape.” 

1 told  him  1 had  never  received  that  let- 
ter. 

“ What  did  you  write  ?”  “ I desired  a mis- 
sionary to  be  sent,  and  that  he  might  be  an 
Englishman.” 

“ Did  you  hear  that  a wild  Bushman  had 
murdered  one  of  my  Hottentots?”  “Yes,  I 


90 


CAPE  TOWN. 


heard  of  it  some  time  after,  and  that  it  was 
to  get  your  cattle  that  he  did  it.” 

“ What  did  you  think  of  the  action,  when 
you  heard  of  it?”  “ I thought  it  was  abomi- 
nable.” 

“ Why  did  you  think  it  was  abominable?” 
“ Because  I knew  your  object  was  good  in 
coming  into  that  country,  and  I wished  to 
see  you.” 

“ Do  you  know  the  Bushman’s  name  that 
murdered  my  Hottentot ?”  “Yes;  his  name 
is  Dovey  Ghap.” 

“ Where  does  he  live  ?”  “ Near  the  water- 
fall on  the  Great  River.” 

I then  asked  April  Job,  the  Damara  con- 
vert, when  and  how  he  first  heard  of  God. 
He  said  it  was  long  ago,  when  Berns,  a Gri- 
qua  chief,  and  some  of  his  people,  came  into 
the  Damara  country  to  shoot  elephants.  They 
often  read  to  him,  and  some  others,  out  of 
the  Testament,  explaining  from  the  book  to 
them,  in  their  own  language,  about  God, 
and  Jesus  Christ  his  Son.  He  had  always 
thought  that  some  greater  Being  than  he 
knew  of,  must  have  raised  or  made  the  great 
mountains:  and  he  never  could  think  how 
the  sun  was  kept  up;  he  often  felt  afraid  lest 
it  should  fall  down  upon  him. 

“ Did  you  ever  think  how  a tree  grew  from 
a small  seed,  or  how  you  yourself  grew,  and 
how  your  arms  were  both  alike,  and  the 
same  number  of  fingers  at  the  end  of  each, 
as  proofs  of  the  existence  of  some  mighty 


CAPE  TOWN. 


91 


Agent?”  “No,”  said  he,  “I  never  thought 
of  such  things;  they  were  too  deep  for  a 
Damara;  they  confuse  his  mind,  and  make 
him  stupid.” 

Mr.  Moffat  explained  to  him,  through  Af- 
ricaner, that  England,  from  whence  the  mis- 
sionaries came  to  teach  them  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ,  was  at  a great  distance;  that  it 
was  seventeen  times  farther  than  Namaqua- 
land  was  from  the  Cape.  Africaner  began 
by  pointing  to  his  fingers,  one  after  another, 
saying,  “ Once  to  Namaqualand  and  back  to 
the  Cape,”  till  he  pointed  to  his  fingers  the 
seventeenth  time.  Immediately  the  Damara 
leaned  backward,  turning  up  his  eyes  and 
hands  towards  heaven,  saying,  “ All  too  deep 
for  me;  I cannot  understand  it!”  When  we 
told  him  that  Mrs.  Philip  had  left  two  chil- 
dren behind  her  in  that  distant  country,  for 
the  sake  of  the  poor  Africans,  the  tears  started 
into  his  eyes,  and  he  wept  silently  for  some 
time.  This  may  be  reckoned  as  one  of  the 
singular  occurrences  of  this  singular  age  of 
our  world,  to  meet  a Christian  from  a coun- 
try, the  very  name  of  which  was  unknown 
to  our  forefathers. 

No  conversation  could  be  held  with  the 
Bootchuana  from  the  neighbourhood  of  Lat- 
takoo,  as  he  could  speak  neither  the  Damara 
language,  nor  Namaqua,  nor  Dutch,  nor  the 
Hottentot;  yet  he  seemed  pleased  and  hap- 
py, and  employed  himself  in  examining  every 
thing  in  the  room.  He  stood  a long  time 


92 


CAPE  TOWN. 


looking  at  an  engraving  of  the  city  of  Glas- 
gow. He  wondered  at  the  bridges  and  car- 
riages which  appeared  in  the  view.  When 
he  turned  his  eyes  to  a painting  of  Charles 
Fox,  his  only  remark  was,  “That  is  a man.” 
When  the  Damara  looked  into  a glass,  and 
observed  his  own  beard,  which  was  the  only 
beard  present,  he  made  signs  that  he  should 
like  to  have  it  cut  off.  These  strangers  kept 
always  close  to  Mr.  Moffat:  when  he  moved, 
they  moved;  and  when  he  stopped,  they 
stopped. 

Our  examinations  of  Africaner,  as  to  his 
knowledge  and  experience  of  the  power  of 
gospel  truth,  which  were  most  satisfactory, 
having  been  inserted  in  a brief  life  of  him, 
published  by  the  Religious  Tract  Society,  it 
is  unnecessary  to  notice  them  here. 

April  17.  The  execution  of  a white  man 
is  a rare  occurrence  at  Cape  Town.  One, 
however,  was  hung  to  day,  on  a gallows 
erected  on  an  open  space  at  the  foot  of  Lion- 
rump  Hill.  He  had  murdered  a field-cornet, 
a kind  of  justice  of  peace,  who  had  appeared 
as  a witness  against  him  in  some  process  that 
he  had  before  a court,  which  determined  him 
to  take  his  revenge  upon  him  the  first  oppor- 
tunity that  offered.  The  murderer  was  a 
farmer  in  the  district  of  Tulbach.  The  field- 
cornet  having  called  upon  him  to  settle  some 
business,  sat  down  in  his  principal  room; 
the  farmer  went  into  another  room,  which 
was  dark,  took  his  fowling  piece  and  shot 


CAPE  TOWN. 


93 


him  while  sitting  in  the  chair;  and,  while  in 
his  fury,  would  have  shot  his  own  wife  also, 
but,  by  concealing  herself,  she  escaped.  Only 
a child  was  present  when  the  deed  was  per- 
petrated: all  that  the  poor  man  was  able  to 
say  before  he  expired  was,  “Child,  you  are 
witness  your  father  has  shot  me!” 

The  murderer  was  tried  by  the  court  of 
justice  a few  days  ago,  but  according  to  the 
Dutch  form  of  proceeding,  no  decision  was 
come  to  in  the  presence  of  the  prisoner:  he 
was  sent  back  to  prison,  there  to  remain  till 
he  should  be  sent  for,  to  hear  the  decision  the 
judges  might  come  to.  For  this  purpose  he 
was  brought  into  the  court  this  morning, 
when  sentence  of  death  was  passed  upon 
him,  and  he  was  ordered  to  be  immediately 
carried  to  the  place  of  execution,  and  put  to 
death  by  hanging. 

The  man  entered  the  court  at  nine  o’clock, 
and  at  half-past  nine  he  was  on  his  way  to 
the  gallows,  guarded  by  the  fiscal  officers, 
and  about  thirty  soldiers.  The  procession 
walked  for  about  a mile  along  the  streets  to 
the  place  of  execution,  which  was  a little  be- 
yond the  extremity  of  the  town  in  that  direc- 
tion. The  unhappy  man  was  dressed  in  a 
short  blue  jacket,  corduroy  trousers,  and  a 
white  nightcap;  he  had  a long  black  beard, 
and  a grim  countenance;  his  arms  were  fast 
bound  by  the  elbows  and  wrists;  he  walked 
with  a bold  yet  sedate  gait,  apparently  not 
the  least  affected  by  the  dreadfulness  of  his 
9 


94 


CAPE  TOWN. 


situation,  or  by  the  many  eyes  which  were 
directed  to  him.  After  arriving  at  the  place 
of  execution,  he  stood  for  half  an  hour,  lean- 
ing his  back  against  a part  of  the  gallows, 
waiting  for  the  fiscal  and  clergyman.  At 
length  they  arrived,  in  two  carriages,  drawn 
by  four  horses  in  the  former,  and  two  in  the 
latter.  On  their  stepping  from  their  carriages, 
and  entering  a tent  erected  to  accommodate 
them,  the  poor  culprit  knelt  at  a chair  which 
was  placed  before  him,  and  two  leaders,  as 
they  are  called,  or  black  young  men,  held 
him  fast  by  the  rope  that  bound  his  arms. 
Mr.  Fleck,  the  minister,  then  advanced  from 
the  fiscal’s  tent  to  the  back  of  the  chair,  when 
he  offered  up  a long  prayer,  while  the  poor 
man  remained  on  his  knees  before  him.  The 
very  instant  the  prayer  ended,  the  kaffers  all 
laid  hold  of  the  man,  and,  as  if  in  an  amazing 
hurry  to  get  the  life  out  of  him,  they  dragged 
him  to  the  ladder  which  led  to  the  platform 
on  which  he  was  to  sutler;  some  pulled, 
while  others  pushed  him  up  the  ladder:  the 
rope  was  put  about  his  neck  immediately, 
and  in  half  a minute  the  platform  fell  down, 
and  he  was  launched  into  eternity.  From 
the  time  that  the  minister  pronounced  Amen, 
till  the  man  was  hanging  on  the  gallows,  I 
think  not  more  than  two  minutes  could  have 
elapsed.  I do  not  recollect  ever  witnessing 
so  horrible  a transaction.  I think  these  hang- 
men would  have  killed  a dog  or  pig  with 
much  more  gentleness  and  feeling;  in  fact, 


CAPE  TOWN. 


95 


they  appeared  like  men  delighted  with  the 
work,  and  anxious  to  finish  as  quickly  as 
possible.  One  of  the  executioners  pressed 
his  foot  on  the  rope  which  bound  the  man’s 
arms,  to  hasten  his  death,  while  he  and  an- 
other held  his  head,  I supposed  to  counteract 
any  convulsions.  The  spectators  behaved 
with  great  propriety,  and  indeed  every  thing, 
except  the  concluding  part,  was  conducted  in 
a very  becoming  manner. 

I heard  that  the  poor  man  who  was  hanged 
was  a confirmed  infidel,  respecting  an  here- 
after. He  had  lived  far  from  any  place  of 
worship,  in  a desert  part  of  the  country,  and 
probably  never  conversed  with  a real  Chris- 
tian in  his  life;  in  fact,  he  laboured  under 
greater  disadvantages  for  acquiring  religious 
knowledge  than  most  of  the  Hottentots  in  the 
colony. 


96 


PART  III. 


JOURNEY  TO  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELS- 
DORP. 

April  22.  We  completed  our  business  at 
Cape  Town,  and  procured  wagons,  oxen,  and 
stores,  for  our  journey  to  visit  the  different 
missionary  stations  within  the  colony.  As 
Dr.  Philip  was  not  yet  sufficiently  recovered 
to  bear  the  fatigue,  but  there  was  reason  to 
expect  that  in  two  or  three  days  he  would  be 
well,  it  was  judged  best  that  I should  go  for- 
ward to  Stellenbosch,  where  we  had  a mis- 
sionary, Mr.  Bakkar,  and  many  friends  of 
the  society,  and  wait  there  till  joined  by 
Dr.  Philip. 

This  arrangement  being  settled,  I hastened 
to  my  lodgings.  My  wagon  soon  came  to 
the  door,  and  the  Hottentots  got  my  trunks, 
&c.  packed  into  it,  when  I took  leave  of  my 
kind  hosts,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Breda.  I called  at 
Dr.  Philip’s,  to  have  other  things  packed  into 
the  wagon,  and  afterwards  stopped  at  the 
houses  of  several  friends  to  bid  them  farewell. 
We  cleared  the  town  exactly  at  six  o’clock 
in  the  evening;  for  the  evening  gun  was  fired 
as  we  were  passing  the  castle,  and  our  jour- 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  97 

ney,  which  was  expected  to  occupy  five  or 
six  months,  commenced. 

Crossing  the  Salt  River,  we  entered  im- 
mediately on  deep  sand,  and  among  bushes. 
We  soon  found  our  oxen  had  become  very 
weak,  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  grass  in 
the  vicinity  of  Cape  Town,  where  they  had 
been  halting  for  a few  days.  At  nine  we 
halted,  that  our  Hottentots  might  have  some 
refreshment,  for  they  were  faint,  having  ate 
little  during  the  day,  in  consequence  of  the 
oxen  having  strayed,  and  much  time  having 
been  consumed  in  collecting  them  together. 
This  is  a hinderance  to  travellers  in  Africa, 
which  travellers  in  Europe  never  feel:  how 
would  such  look,  if,  on  coming  to  the  end 
of  a stage  in  the  mail  coach,  they  were  told 
to  make  themselves  comfortable  for  three 
or  four  hours,  as  it  would  take  at  least  that 
time  before  they  could  trace  out  where  the 
horses  had  strayed  to,  for  some  of  them  must 
be  six  or  seven  miles  off  in  search  of  some- 
thing to  eat! 

April  23.  We  intended  to  have  gone  for- 
ward about  midnight,  but  all  of  us  slept  till 
about  five  in  the  morning,  consequently  it 
was  seven  a.  m.  before  we  were  ready  to 
depart  from  our  encampment.  We  had  not 
gone  forward  above  ten  minutes  before  I 
was  convinced  we  had,  in  the  dark,  got  upon 
the  wrong  road,  and  were  moving  towards 
Tiger  Mountain  instead  of  Stellenbosch. 


98 


JOURNEY  TO 


Finding  the  Hottentots  entertained  the  same 
doubts,  we  directed  our  course  to  a house,  at 
a little  distance,  to  inquire.  They  told  us  we 
were  on  the  Paarl  instead  of  the  Stellenbosch 
road,  and  after  directing  us  how  we  might 
recover  the  road,  they  kindly  invited  us  first 
to  take  a cup  of  coffee,  which  we  accepted, 
with  thanks. 

We  halted  at  water  at  ten,  meaning  to 
remain  there  an  hour.  About  fifty  yards 
from  the  wagon  we  killed  a serpent  five  feet 
long,  of  a greenish  colour  mixed  with  yel- 
low. After  many  strokes  upon  the  head, 
the  poor  creature  continued  to  hiss,  and  it 
must  have  had  at  least  a hundred  blows 
with  the  heavy  end  of  a whip  handle  before 
it  lay  quiet;  after  all,  the  tail  continued  to 
move.  At  four  p.  m.  an  eight  horse  wagon 
came  up  to  us,  with  Captain  H.  and  four 
other  gentlemen  in  it.  They  had  only  left 
Cape  Town  about  three  hours  before;  of 
course  they  smiled  when  they  heard  that  I 
had  left  the  evening  before.  They  halted  at 
the  water,  and  we  proceeded.  They  passed 
us  a second  time,  and  politely  offered  me  a 
place  with  them  to  Stellenbosch,  which,  with 
pleasure,  I accepted,  and  they  put  me  down 
about  nine  p.  m.  at  my  good  friend,  Mr.  Kuy- 
per’s,  where  I had  been  comfortably  accom- 
modated for  some  time  during  my  former 
visit  to  Africa,  and  where  I met  a most 
friendly  reception.  Not  one  under  the  roof 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  99 

could  speak  English;  however,  with  the 
little  Dutch  I had,  we  managed  to  hold  a 
kind  of  conversation  for  an  hour  and  a half. 

April  24.  I was  sorry  to  find  our  venerable 
missionary,  Mr.  Bakkar,  ill,  and  confined  to 
his  bed;  and  that  Mrs.  Bakkar  was  dead. 

April  25.  Sabbath.  Mr.  Bakkar  was  so 
far  recovered  as  to  be  able  to  preach  to  a 
congregation  of  slaves,  who  listened  to  him 
with  serious  attention:  about  forty  were  pre- 
sent. At  the  close,  I addressed  a few  remarks, 
through  the  missionary’s  assistance  as  inter- 
preter. 

April  27.  Being  within  three  days  of  their 
winter,  people  are  employed  in  their  gardens, 
digging,  planting,  and  sowing,  exactly  as  in 
England  in  spring:  the  winter  here  is  the 
flower  season;  indeed  as  few  are  seen  here 
in  summer  as  in  England  during  winter. 

Stellenbosch  is  a large  and  handsome  coun- 
try town,  built  in  the  Dutch  style;  all  the 
houses  have  whitened  carved  fronts,  and 
every  street  is  lined  with  a row  of  oak  trees 
on  each  side,  which  greatly  protects  both  the 
houses  and  passengers  from  the  sun’s  power- 
ful heat.  Notwithstanding  this,  few  street 
passengers  are  to  be  seen  from  nine  o’clock 
in  the  morning  till  three  in  the  afternoon, 
which  gives  the  town  such  a stillness  that  it 
appears  deserted  by  its  inhabitants.  It  has  a 
good  church,  but  of  small  size,  and  a large 
house  for  the  residence  of  the  landdrost,  or 
sheriff.  All  the  houses  have  good  gardens 


100 


JOURNEY  TO 


attached  to  them;  many  are  of  considerable 
extent.  Apricots,  peaches,  and  nectarines 
grow  in  such  profusion,  that  hundreds  are  to 
be  seen  under  the  trees  rotting;  the  fig-trees 
and  the  vines  bear  freely;  apples  and  pears 
also  bear  well:  but  neither  cherries,  goose- 
berries, nor  currants  will  grow,  being  fruit 
belonging  to  colder  climes. 

May  1.  Dr.  Philip  arrived,  quite  recovered 
from  his  illness.  At  half  past  six,  the  month- 
ly prayer  meeting  for  the  spread  of  the  gos- 
pel was  held  in  the  mission  chapel,  at  which 
Mr.  Evans  from  Bethelsdorp  gave  an  ad- 
dress, and  Messrs.  Bakkar  and  Moffat  en- 
gaged in  prayer. 

May  4.  Having  finished  all  the  business 
connected  with  the  mission  at  Stellenbosch, 
we  departed  for  Paarl,  about  five  p.  m.  The 
evening  was  serene  and  pleasantly  cool. 
About  half  past  nine,  we  came  to  a pool  of 
water,  two  miles  from  Paarl,  where  we  halt- 
ed, or  outspanned,  for  the  night.  Our  com- 
pany, which  collected  in  the  tent  for  evening 
worship,  was  a singular  mixture  of  nations, 
namely  English,  Scotch,  Welsh,  American, 
Hottentot,  Namaqua,  Damara,  Bootchuana, 
and  Bushman;  persons  from  nine  nations, 
all  professedly  uniting  in  the  worship  of  one 
God. 

May  5.  Breakfasted  at  the  lovely  town  of 
Paarl,  or  Pearl;  so  called  from  an  immense 
rock,  which  forms  the  summit  of  a high  hill 
immediately  behind  the  town,  which  in  shape 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  1 01 

was  thought  to  resemble  a pearl,  hence  it 
was  called  Pearl  Mountain,  and  the  town 
afterwards  built  at  the  base  of  it  called  Paarl, 
or  Pearl.  The  town  itself  is  beautiful,  being 
composed  of  a square  of  buildings,  with  a 
wide  street  leading  from  it  at  both  ends;  and 
the  position  of  it  is  equally  so,  looking  down 
to  a long  and  wide  valley,  bounded  by  an 
extensive  range  of  stupendous  mountains, 
covered  on  the  summit,  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach,  with  mighty  rocks  in  all  con- 
ceivable shapes,  as  ruined  cathedrals,  domes, 
steeples,  and  turrets.  This  range  a traveller 
once  called  the  backbone  of  the  world.  One 
cannot  view  such  grand  works  of  the  Creator 
without  being  astonished  at  the  wisdom  and 
power  by  which  they  were  produced.  When 
observing  the  delightful  streams  which  such 
mountains  send  down  to  beautify  and  ferti- 
lize the  valleys,  we  are  forced  to  say,  “ 0 
Lord,  how  great  is  thy  goodness!” 

I was  pleased  to  find  that,  since  I was  for- 
merly in  Paarl,  the  people  had  erected  a neat 
building,  capable  of  containing  two  hundred 
and  fifty  persons,  where  meetings  might  be 
held  for  the  instruction  of  the  slave  popula- 
tion. The  friends  were  very  anxious  that  a 
missionary  might  be  settled  among  them, 
who  would  devote  his  labours  entirely  to  the 
slaves  in  Paarl,  and  the  region  round  about; 
when  they  had  no  doubt  of  their  being  able, 
not  only  to  support  the  missionary,  but  also 
to  contribute  something  to  the  general  fund 
10 


102 


JOURNEY  TO 


of  the  Missionary  Society.  We  promised  to 
attend  to  their  case. 

In  the  evening,  at  half  past  six,  the  slave 
chapel  was  crowded  with  people  of  all  co- 
lours. Mr.  Evans  gave  an  address,  in  the 
Dutch  language;  and  then  Mr.  Moffat  put  a 
few  questions,  first  to  Africaner  and  then  to 
the  Damara,  concerning  their  faith,  which 
they  answered  with  great  modesty.  They 
were  listened  to  with  deep  interest;  indeed, 
every  eye  was  fixed  on  these  two  men,  while 
they  confessed  their  faith  in  the  great  doc- 
trines of  the  gospel.  They  appeared  not 
only  interested,  but  powerfully  affected  by 
the  scene  before  them.  It  was  truly  new  to 
us,  and  will  be  long  remembered. 

May  6.  After  taking  leave  of  friends,  we 
left  Pearl  at  nine  a.  m.,  and  for  the  first  three 
or  four  miles  we  travelled  in  the  middle  of 
wine  farms,  and  farm  houses  on  each  side  of 
the  road,  which  had  the  appearance  of  a 
scattered  village. 

At  one  p.  m.  we  came  to  a river,  on  the 
bank  of  which,  near  the  ford,  stood  a farm 
house,  almost  hidden  by  the  trees  which  sur- 
rounded it.  Under  the  shade  of  one  of  these, 
we  pitched  our  tent.  I had  some  conversa- 
tion with  one  of  the  farmer’s  sons,  a fine 
looking  little  fellow  of  nine  or  ten  years  of 
age;  I found  that  he  could  read,  and  that 
there  was  a school  about  two  miles  distant. 
He  entered  our  tent  while  we  were  at  din- 
ner, and  viewed  us  and  the  meal  before  us 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  103 

with  the  same  ease  as  if  no  person  had  been 
present.  Mr.  T.  presented  him  with  two 
penny  pieces,  which  he  received  with  as  little 
ceremony  as  a toll-bar  man  receives  his  toll 
money  in  England.  In  a minute  he  brought 
to  us  a younger  brother,  and  placed  him  be- 
fore us,  when  both  looked  in  our  faces  in  a 
very  significant  manner.  We  could  not  mis- 
understand their  meaning,  therefore  we  gave 
the  younger  boy  a penny  piece,  when  they 
immediately  retired. 

At  five  p.  m.  we  crossed  the  river  and  went 
forward,  having  the  row  of  interesting  moun- 
tains near  us  on  the  right,  and  were  sorry  it 
was  dark  when  we  entered  Wagonmaker’s 
Valley,  the  fertility  of  its  vineyards  being 
much  spoken  of  at  the  Cape,  but  the  shades 
of  night  concealed  it  from  our  view.  At 
eleven,  we  halted  for  the  night  among  bush- 
es, and  after  midnight  went  to  sleep  in  our 
wagons,  leaving  the  tent  to  be  occupied  by 
the  natives,  which  pleased  them,  as  the  rain 
fell  fast. 

We  found  ourselves  in  the  morning  at  the 
end  of  the  kloof,  or  narrow  pass  across  the 
chain  of  mountains  to  Tulbach.  After  set- 
ting out,  we  met  a farmer  and  his  wagons, 
who  had  come  from  the  vicinity  of  Graff 
Reynet;  he  had  been  a month  on  the  road. 
He  told  us  that  he  had  left  two  sheep  behind, 
a little  way  off,  which  he  gave  us  a right  to 
take  to  ourselves,  if  we  could  find  them  out; 
our  Hottentots  soon  traced  them,  and  brought 


104 


JOURNEY  TO 


them  to  the  wagons.  We  arrived  at  Rode- 
zand  about  seven  p.  m. 

May  9.  Sabbath.  Mr.  Kicherer,  the  pa- 
rish minister,  who  had  been  one  of  the  So- 
ciety’s missionaries,  being  from  home,  the 
schoolmaster  read  a commentary  on  Pha- 
raoh’s dream.  Notice  was  then  given  of 
sermons,  to  be  delivered  in  English  and 
Dutch,  at  the  slave  meeting  in  the  evening, 
where  Dr.  Philip  preached;  and  Mr.  Yos, 
late  minister  of  Caledon,  repeated  the  sub- 
stance of  the  discourse  in  Dutch;  after  which 
I gave  an  address  in  reference  to  what  was 
going  on  in  the  Christian  part  of  the  world, 
which  Mr.  Yos  also  interpreted  to  the  peo- 
ple. 

May  10.  After  having  had  meetings  with 
the  directors  of  the  Tulbach  and  Rodezand 
Missionary  Society,  and  Mr.  Ariel  Yos  our 
missionary,  and  taking  leave  of  Africaner, 
who  went  no  further  our  way,  we  left  Rode- 
zand, and  the  kind  friends  there,  at  four  p.  m., 
in  Mr.  De  Lang’s  six-horse  wagon,  to  make 
up  to  our  own  wagons,  which  had  set  off  an 
hour  before  us;  this  we  soon  effected. 

We  intended  to  have  visited  Gnadenthal, 
the  principal  Moravian  station  in  the  colony; 
but  finding,  upon  inquiry,  that  it  was  three 
days’  journey  out  of  our  way,  we  proceeded 
direct  to  Zwellendam,  and  travelled,  with 
high  mountains  on  both  sides  of  us,  until 
almost  midnight,  getting  comfortably  across 
the  five  streams,  which  when  united  form  the 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  105 

Brede,  or  Broad  River.  The  night  felt  cold, 
and  the  wind  blew  with  great  violence. 

May  11.  So  violently  did  the  wind  con- 
tinue to  blow  during  the  night,  and  it  so 
shook  our  wagons,  as  to  prevent  some  of  the 
party  from  sleeping.  The  spare  oxen  not 
having  come  up,  prevented  our  moving  from 
our  encampment  till  past  three  p.  m.,  and 
some  oxen  had  become  so  feeble,  that  they 
lay  down,  unable  to  proceed:  these  we  com- 
mitted to  the  care  of  a farmer  till  we  should 
return.  The  wind  blowing  so  strong  from 
the  s.  e.  retarded  our  progress,  the  oxen 
having  to  drag  the  wagons  in  opposition  to 
it.  The  road  was  excellent,  and  became 
gradually  descending;  some  parts  of  it  were 
sand,  but  the  greater  part  composed  of  hard 
clay  and  gravel.  We  halted  at  half  past  one 
in  the  morning,  on  the  further  side  of  the 
Hex  River.  It  is  a necessary  precaution, 
always  to  cross  a river  immediately  on  arri- 
ving, if  it  be  fordable:  the  neglect  has  often 
detained  travellers  for  days  on  the  side  of 
rivers;  for  sometimes,  in  consequence  of  falls 
of  rain  at  a distance,  rivers  in  an  hour  will 
swell  to  double  their  ordinary  size. 

May  12.  In  the  morning,  Mr.  De  Toit,  a 
respectable  farmer,  whose  house  was  about 
a mile  distant,  came  and  kindly  presented 
us  with  various  articles  for  supplying  our 
table. 

This  being  the  day  appointed  for  the  an- 


106 


JOURNEY  TO 


nual  meeting  of  the  Missionary  Society  in 
London,  we  held  a special  meeting  in  our 
tent,  at  two  p.  m.,  for  prayer,  and  gave  an 
address  to  the  Hottentots  who  travelled  with 
us.  Mr.  De  Toit  met  with  us.  Mr.  Moffat 
delivered  the  address,  in  which  he  gave  some 
account  of  the  missionary  meeting  in  Lon- 
don, the  distance  which  many  travelled  to  it, 
its  object,  the  prayers  and  contributions  made 
for  the  heathen,  and  remarked  that  they 
heard  of  no  such  meetings  among  the  Caf- 
fres,  or  Corannas,  or  Namaquas,  or  any  other 
heathen  nations,  to  send  teachers  to  the  igno- 
rant who  were  far  from  them;  no,  it  was 
only  in  lands  where  Christ  and  his  gospel 
were  known,  that  such  things  were  to  be 
found.  He  likewise  told  them  that  it  was 
equally  the  duty  of  Christian  Hottentots  to 
assist  as  much  as  they  could,  to  support 
instructors  among  themselves  and  other  na- 
tions. 

Mr.  De  Toit  sent  a slave,  with  two  horses, 
to  bring  us  to  see  his  family.  On  reaching 
the  house,  which  stands  near  the  head  of  the 
valley,  that  forms  a crescent  composed  of  the 
most  venerable  looking  and  rugged  moun- 
tains I have  hitherto  noticed  in  South  Africa, 
we  were  received  in  the  most  friendly  manner 
by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  De  Toit,  or  Toy.  When 
Mr.  Moffat  had  explained  the  object  of  our 
visit  to  Africa,  Mr.  De  Toit  expressed  his 
sincere  hope  that  we  might  succeed  in  it. 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  107 

The  governor  had  been  there  lately  for  five 
days,  on  a shooting  excursion,  and  had  shot 
a great  deal  of  game. 

We  were  all  in  motion  at  eight  p.  m.;  but, 
an  hour  after,  one  of  the  oxen  became  so 
lame  that  we  were  obliged  to  unyoke  him. 
The  Hottentots  judged  that  his  haunch  bone 
was  broken,  and  after  much  consultation, 
they  thought  it  would  be  best  to  kill  him  on 
the  spot  for  food.  The  condemned  animal, 
as  if  he  had  overheard  the  sentence,  began 
to  move  forward,  and  went  faster  than  we 
supposed  it  possible  for  him  to  have  done, 
so  that  the  execution  of  his  sentence  was  put 
off  till  we  should  consult  a farmer,  whose 
house  was  not  far  off.  On  reaching  Mr. 
Yrez’s,  after  examination,  he  thought  it  was 
a dislocation,  not  a fracture  or  break.  We 
left  the  ox  till  it  should  recover,  when  it 
would  be  sent  for  by  our  missionary  at  Cale- 
don institution. 

Mr  Moffat,  having  rode  on  before  us,  had 
highly  gratified  a farmer  and  his  family,  who 
appeared  to  be  pious  people,  with  relating 
the  extensive  operations  of  the  Missionary 
Society  over  the  world.  The  farmer  remark- 
ed that  the  English  were  a wonderful  nation; 
for  whenever  he  heard  of  them,  he  always 
heard  of  their  doing  something  for  the  good 
of  mankind. 

About  four  o’clock  in  the  morning,  a large 
iron  bolt,  which  bound  Dr.  P.’s  wagon  to- 
gether in  the  front,  snapped  in  two,  which 


108 


JOURNEY  TO 


detained  us  about  half  an  hour,  till  a tempo- 
rary wooden  one  was  made  and  put  in.  We 
had  not  proceeded  far,  when  the  iron  pin 
broke,  which  fixed  the  hook  at  the  end  of 
the  dissel  boom,  or  shaft,  of  my  wagon,  to 
which  the  whole  yoke  of  oxen  are  fixed, 
and  by  it  drag  the  wagon;  of  course  when  it 
gave  way,  the  twelve  oxen  that  dragged  the 
wagon  were  immediately  separated  from  it, 
and  ran  off  in  a mass.*  It  was  well  this  hap- 
pened where  it  did,  while  we  were  on  level 
ground,  instead  of  a deep  declivity;  for  then 
the  wagon  must  have  been  overturned,  and 
much  damaged.  Having  succeeded  in  again 
fixing  the  hook  to  the  shaft,  and  the  oxen  to 
the  hook,  we  went  forward  till  we  reached 
the  outspan,  or  halting  place,  at  five  in  the 
morning,  where  we  went  to  sleep  at  break  of 
day,  after  admiring  for  some  time  the  glory 
of  the  morning  star. 

May  13.  While  at  breakfast,  a farmer 
from  the  neighbourhood  came,  with  a pleas- 
ing request,  that  one  of  our  company  would 
come  to  his  house,  and  preach  to  his  family 
and  slaves.  Mr.  Evans  went.  Though  win- 
ter, the  thermometer,  at  noon,  was  70. 

We  recommenced  our  journey  at  three 
p.  m.,  but  about  ten  at  night,  we  found  we 
had  left  the  road,  and  got  entangled  among 
muddy  streams  of  water,  which  detained  us 

* These  little  occurrences  are  noticed  in  the  beginning 
of  the  journey,  merely  to  assist  readers  in  forming  a cor- 
rect idea  of  the  nature  of  African  travelling. 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  109 

some  time  before  we  could  regain  the  track. 
At  eleven,  an  ox  sunk  so  deep  into  mire, 
that  by  every  exertion  we  could  not  extri- 
cate him,  which  obliged  us  to  halt  for  the  re- 
turn of  day. 

May  14.  Having  extricated  the  ox,  and 
taken  breakfast  we  departed  at  ten;  but,  in 
an  hour,  the  heat  became  too  oppressive  for 
the  oxen,  (thermometer  74,)  wherefore  we 
halted,  amidst  mimosa  trees,  till  the  heat  of 
the  day  should  pass  over.  Though  the  mid- 
dle of  this  month  (May)  in  this  hemisphere 
is  the  same  season  as  the  middle  of  Novem- 
ber in  Europe,  yet  we  observed  the  swallows 
flying  about  the  same  as  in  summer.  In  the 
afternoon,  while  my  wagon  was  descending 
a steep  hill  at  Kochman’s  Kloof,  the  chain 
which  locked  the  wheel  broke,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  the  wagon  rushed  down 
with  great  rapidity;  but  the  oxen,  through 
the  good  management  of  the  Hottentots,  be- 
ing kept  running  with  equal  swiftness,  hap- 
pily all  came  safe  to  the  bottom.  It  was 
well  that  my  wagon  was  the  foremost,  for 
had  it  been  behind  any  of  them,  the  road 
being  narrow,  it  must  have  dashed  against 
them,  and  caused  great  damage.  We  con- 
tinued from  five  o’clock  in  the  evening  till 
half  past  six  next  morning,  when  we  came 
to  water,  and  halted. 

May  15.  I observed  that  the  Hottentots 
always  preferred  sleeping  round  a fire  in  the 


110 


JOURNEY  TO 


open  air,  when  it  did  not  rain,  to  being  in 
our  tent,  which  was  always  at  their  service 
in  the  night  time.  When  I inquired  their 
reason  for  so  doing,  they  said  the  ground 
round  the  fire  was  always  more  dry  than 
that  in  the  tent.  To  remedy  this,  I advised 
them  to  make  a great  fire  on  a spot  of 
ground,  which  would  soon  make  it  perfectly 
dry ; they  then  could  clear  away  the  fire,  and 
remove  the  tent  to  that  spot. 

Our  Bootchuana  was  sitting  in  the  circle 
of  Hottentots,  none  of  whom  understand  his 
language;  he  made  us  to  understand  he  was 
sleepy,  by  closing  his  eyes  and  snoring  a 
little;  he  then  made  use  of  a Hottentot’s 
head,  who  was  asleep  beside  him,  as  a pil- 
low. The  Hottentot  awaking,  in  conse- 
quence of  feeling  the  weight,  pushed  away 
the  Bootchuana’s  head,  who  immediately 
laid  his  head  upon  the  ground,  making  a 
sign  to  the  Hottentot  that  he  might  use  it  for 
a pillow,  which  he  readily  did;  and  both 
were  fast  asleep  in  a few  minutes. 

Went  forward  about  noon,  and  arrived  at 
Zwellendam,  the  seat  of  a landdrost,  about 
three  o’clock.  We  dined  at  Mr.  K.’s,  sur- 
geon to  the  district,  after  which  we  rode  to 
take  a view  of  a wonderful  hollow  in  the 
side  of  a mountain  a little  way  off.  As  we 
approached  it,  our  surprise  increased.  The 
wide  excavation  extended  about  half  a mile 
into  the  heart  of  the  mountain;  the  cliffs 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHEESDORP.  Ill 

on  each  side  were  of  surprising  height,  and 
became  more  lofty  as  they  approached  the 
centre  of  the  hill ; but  the  head  of  the  cut 
surpassed  all,  being  a solid  perpendicular 
cliff  of  about  three  thousand  feet  high.  In 
the  bottom  of  this  cut  ran  a stream  of  pure 
water,  pushing  its  way  through  innumerable 
loose  rocks  which  lay  in  its  way.  Where  the 
passage  happened  to  be  completely  choked 
up  by  the  rocks,  small  water-falls  were  form- 
ed, which  added  greatly  to  the  beauty  of  the 
enchanting  scenery.  Evergreens  of  various 
kinds  grew  from  the  bottom  and  sides  of  the 
excavation.  Wherever  we  found  an  open- 
ing among  the  trees,  by  which  we  could  get 
a peep  of  the  terminating  cliff,  we  viewed  it 
with  increasing  astonishment  the  nearer  we 
approachedi 

The  greatest  works  of  men  sunk  into  insig- 
nificance when  thought  of  in  presence  of  this 
work  of  God.  The  Egyptian  pyramids  would 
have  looked  like  mere  pebbles,  had  they  been 
placed  by  the  side  of  this  Divine  erection. 
Had  this  work  been  effected  by  some  ancient 
emperor,  its  fame  would  have  reached  all 
civilized  nations,  but  being  a work  of  God 
it  is  lightly  esteemed;  for  though  it  is  only 
three  miles  from  Zwellendam,  I never  heard 
a whisper  of  it  when  there  before.  Sorry 
were  we  to  be  obliged  to  leave  this  interest- 
ing spot  before  we  could  reach  the  end  of  it; 
for  the  approach  of  night  chased  us  away.  A 


112 


JOURNEY  TO 


neat  farm  house  and  garden  stand  beautifully 
near  the  entrance;  and  another,  with  a mill, 
at  no  great  distance. 

May  16.  The  thermometer,  at  noon,  was 
82,  and  not  a breath  of  wind  moving.  There 
was  no  service  in  the  parish  church,  the  min- 
ister being  absent,  preaching  on  the  other  side 
of  the  mountains.  At  eleven,  our  people  as- 
sembled for  worship  at  the  tent. 

Mr.  K.  on  building  a new  house,  turned 
the  old  one  into  a place  of  worship  for  slaves 
and  Hottentots,  where  he  regularly  preaches 
to  them,  and  has  also  taught  some  of  them 
to  read.  Mr.  E.  preached  in  the  evening  to 
a full  house  of  Hottentots,  slaves,  and  whites. 
The  latter  sat  behind  the  former  two  classes, 
because  it  was  the  “heathen  meeting;”  for 
the  slaves  and  Hottentots  are  called  “ hea- 
then,” while  all  the  white  people  are  called 
“ Christian  men.”  All  seemed  to  pay  deep 
attention  to  what  was  spoken. 

May  17.  Mr.  K.  was  early  engaged  in 
the  revolutionary  war.  When  a surgeon  on 
board  a Dutch  man-of-war,  he  was  taken 
prisoner  by  the  English.  After  being  taken 
to  several  different  places,  he  was  landed  at 
Plymouth,  and  was  sent  from  thence  to  Wel- 
lington on  his  parole,  where  he  remained 
five  years.  Being  allowed  only  five  shillings 
per  week  by  the  English  government,  and 
this  not  being  sufficient  for  his  support,  to 
make  up  the  deficiency,  he  wrought  for  the 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORF.  H3 

farmers.  He  was  afterwards  permitted  to 
return  to  Holland,  and  went  to  the  Hague, 
where  Mr.  Kicherer’s  parents  lived;  which 
led  to  his  going  out  as  a missionary  to  South 
Africa,  from  the  Rotterdam  Missionary  So- 
ciety, along  with  Mr.  Kicherer,  and  the 
three  Hottentots  he  had  brought  over  with 
him  on  a visit  to  Europe.  Though  both  he 
and  his  wife  laboured  in  the  missionary 
work,  he  did  not  receive  enough  from  the 
Rotterdam  Society  to  support  him,  so  that 
he  was  obliged  to  resign  his  connexion  with 
that  Society,  and  commence  the  practice  of 
surgery,  to  maintain  himself  and  family. 

May  17.  After  an  agreeable  interview  with 
the  landdrost  about  missionary  concerns,  and 
taking  leave  of  the  friendly  Koster  family,  we 
left  Zvvellendam,  which  does  not  seem  to  be 
an  increasing  town,  as  I did  not  observe  one 
house  added  to  it  since  my  last  visit,  six 
years  ago.  In  five  hours,  we  reached  the 
Missionary  Institution  of  Caledon,  formerly 
called  Zuurbrak.  The  latter  part  of  the 
stage  was  performed  in  the  dark,  which  was 
on  the  worst  part  of  the  road.  During  the 
last  two  hours  of  it,  we  had  much  thunder 
and  lightning;  and  soon  after  our  arrival,  the 
rain  began  to  pour  down  plentifully. 

May  18.  During  the  day  we  surveyed 
the  settlement,  but  were  sorry  to  find  it  in  a 
languishing  state,  though  the  ground  is  good, 
and  a fine  river  running  in  the  middle  of  the 


1 J 4 


JOURNEY  TO 


valley,  which  is  bounded  on  one  side  by  high 
mountains.  The  height  of  that  part  of  the 
range  immediately  opposite  the  valley,  is  said 
to  be  eight  thousand  feet,  from  its  requiring 
double  the  time  to  ascend  it  that  Table 
Mountain,  behind  Cape  Town,  requires.  Du- 
ring our  halting  here,  we  went  to  survey  an 
opening  in  this  gigantic  mountain,  similar  to 
the  one  we  had  seen  in  the  vicinity  of  Zwel- 
lendam,  which  was  judged  to  go  three  miles 
direct  towards  the  heart  of  the  mountain. 
We  found  it  impossible  to  enter  by  the  mouth 
of  the  cut,  owing  to  ponderous  rocks  piled  up 
to  a considerable  height,  and  a rapid  stream 
which  forced  its  way  through  every  crevice, 
the  two  sides  of  the  excavation  almost  meet- 
ing at  the  top.  After  ascending  the  moun- 
tain to  a considerable  height,  the  Hottentots 
led  us  down  by  a narrow  path,  so  steep  in 
some  parts  that  it  approached  the  perpen- 
dicular; however,  it  conducted  us  to  the  bot- 
tom of  the  abyss,  which  was  nearly  dark, 
from  its  narrowness,  the  great  perpendicular 
height  of  the  sides,  and  the  evergreen  trees 
which  projected  from  them.  We  found  the 
bed  of  the  stream  covered  with  loose  rocks, 
some  of  which  were  of  great  size,  the  wreck 
of  the  mountain.  Little  waterfalls  were  nu- 
merous, adding  greatly  to  the  novelty  and 
beauty  of  the  scenery:  we  observed  a tribu- 
tary stream  which  was  poured  forth  from 
the  north  side,  or  cliff,  falling  from  about 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  115 

forty  feet.  On  entering  the  excavation,  the 
head  or  perpendicular  wall  which  formed  the 
termination  of  it,  and  must  have  been  four 
or  five  thousand  feet  high,  appeared  so  near, 
that  though  it  had  never  been  reached  be- 
fore, we  had  no  doubt  of  being  there  in  an 
hour.  But  after  scrambling  over  rocks  for 
more  than  that  time,  the  end  appeared  as 
distant  as  ever,  while  the  cliffs  on  each  side 
had  increased  many  hundred  feet  in  height, 
which  induced  us  often  to  halt,  and  survey 
them  with  great  surprise.  No  part  of  the 
bottom,  up  which  we  were  gradually  as- 
cending, exceeded  fifty  feet  in  breadth,  the 
whole  of  which  was  occupied  by  the  river. 
At  length  we  found,  to  our  great  regret,  that 
it  would  be  impossible  to  reach  the  head  of 
the  defile,  consistently  with  the  fulfilment  of 
an  engagement  we  had  made  with  the  Hot- 
tentots at  the  institution;  therefore  we  had 
to  return  by  the  same  way,  and  encounter 
the  same  difficulties  as  when  advancing. 

The  oxen  being  all  yoked  to  our  wagons, 
and  all  ready  to  depart,  Dr.  Philip  addressed 
the  people  of  the  settlement  who  were  col- 
lected around  us,  warmly  recommending  to 
them  active  industry,  attention  to  the  gos- 
pel, and  not  to  leave  the  institution.  On 
taking  leave  of  them,  we  proceeded  on  our 
journey  to  Pacaltsdorp,  many  of  the  Hot- 
tentots following  us  across  the  river.  On  a 
rising  ground  a little  beyond  it,  about  twenty 


116 


JOURNEY  TO 


females  were  standing;  as  our  wagons  pass- 
ed they  sang  some  verses  of  a hymn.  They 
stood  motionless,  except  their  lips,  which 
rendered  the  scene  affecting  and  impressive, 
especially  when  we  recollected  that  very 
probably  some  of  us  would  see  them  no 
more. 

We  travelled  along  the  foot  of  the  Trads 
range  of  mountains  on  the  left,  with  small 
hills  on  our  right.  This  valley  or  glen  con- 
tinued for  the  first  four  hours  of  the  journey, 
till  we  came  to  the  station  of  Mr.  Messer, 
who  had  brought  out  a party  of  artisans 
from  Scotland.  We  called  on  Mr.  Messer  as 
we  were  passing.  It  was  now  dark,  and  he 
stated  that  some  parts  of  the  road  were  rather 
intricate  for  night  travelling,  especially  with- 
out moonlight,  and  advised  us  to  halt  where 
we  were  until  the  morning.  We  took  his 
advice,  and  encamped  on  a rising  ground 
behind  his  house.  During  the  evening,  we 
obtained  some  useful  information  from  him. 

May  2S.  At  eight  in  the  morning,  we 
broke  up  our  camp,  and  went  forward,  tra- 
velling up  and  down  hill  till  noon,  when  we 
arrived  at  Britt’s  Place,  or  farm,  which  lies 
in  a very  romantic  spot,  at  the  head  of  a 
valley  surrounded  by  hills  except  on  the  east. 
The  hill  immediately  behind  the  house  rises 
to  a great  height,  and  is  ornamented  by  its 
rugged  top  and  huge  cliffs.  Mr.  Bakkar 
came  immediately  to  the  wagons,  inviting 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  H7 

ns  to  his  house.  Dinner  was  soon  ready. 
His  son  was  on  the  commando  (military  ex- 
pedition) against  the  Caffres,  for  whose  safe- 
ty he  and  Mrs.  Bakkar  felt  a natural  solici- 
tude. They  say  many  farms  are  left  untilled, 
in  consequence  of  their  possessors  being  call- 
ed off  to  defend  the  boundaries  against  those 
savages. 

Some  say,  that  in  former  times,  when  the 
Caffres  stole  cattle  from  the  colony,  the  boors 
in  the  neighbourhood  instantly  formed  a 
commando  themselves,  pursued  them,  retook 
the  cattle,  and  took  severe  revenge  upon  the 
Caffres  for  the  crime.  I fear  that  many  in 
nocent  Caffres  lost  their  property  and  their 
lives  upon  such  occasions,  from  the  difficulty 
there  must  have  been  to  distinguish  between 
the  innocent  and  the  guilty;  so  that,  proba- 
bly, motives  of  mercy  have  prevailed  on  the 
colonial  government  to  alter  their  policy  in 
this  matter. 

At  four  o’clock,  we  took  leave  of  Mr. 
Bakkar,  receiving  from  him  as  many  large 
melons  as  we  had  room  for  in  the  wagon. 
A pleasant  river  runs  in  front  of  his  house, 
which  after  great  rains  becomes  so  formida- 
ble an  obstruction  to  travelling,  that  some- 
times travellers  are  detained  days  on  its 
banks  before  they  can  cross;  indeed  one  of 
our  company  was  once  detained  eleven  days 
before  it  became  fordable.  How  insensible 
we  are  to  the  value  of  bridges  and  good 
roads!  Travelling  chiefly  over  low  hills,  at 
11 


118 


JOURNEY  TO 


half  past  ten  f.  m.  we  arrived  at  Lombart’s 
Place. 

May  29.  Rain  fell  abundantly  in  the 
morning.  We  found  only  slaves  and  Hot- 
tentots in  the  farm  house,  who  permitted  us 
to  make  use  of  the  front  room.  The  ab- 
sence of  the  family  was  caused  by  a very 
affecting  occurrence.  Mr.  Lombart  went 
lately  on  a journey  to  the  Cape:  on  his  re- 
turn, when  only  a few  days’  journey  from 
home,  he  was  taken  suddenly  ill,  and  died. 
The  widow  and  friends  were  now  absent  to 
attend  his  funeral,  which  was  to  take  place 
on  this  very  day.  From  their  being  no  trees 
or  bushes  near  the  house,  the  wetness  of  the 
weather,  the  absence  of  the  family,  and  the 
cause  of  that  absence,  every  thing  appeared 
to  wear  a gloomy  aspect.  There  did  not 
appear  much  dejection  among  the  slaves, 
though  the  death  of  their  master  may  make 
a great  alteration  in  their  circumstances,  as 
they  may  be  sold  to  different  purchasers,  in 
different  parts  of  the  country,  and  thus  be 
dispersed  so  as  never  to  see  each  other  again. 

We  left  Lombart’s  Place  at  five  p.  >r., 
crossed  two  considerable  rivers,  but  happily, 
not  much  swelled  by  the  rains.  About  three 
o’clock  in  the  morning,  we  came  to  a steep, 
rocky,  and  slippery  descent  in  the  road, 
which  cost  about  an  hour’s  labour  to  get  the 
wagons  safely  down,  one  after  another.  We 
continued  moving  forward  till  about  six 
a.  m.,  when  we  halted  at  water,  and  were  so 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  119 

tired,  that  all  went  to  sleep  without  tasting 
any  food. 

May  30.  We  spent  our  Sabbath  at  this 
solitary  place,  where  there  are  neither  houses, 
nor  people,  nor  trees.  We  were  very  desi- 
rous to  reach  a kraal  of  Hottentots;  but 
though  we  had  travelled  thirteen  hours  the 
preceding  night,  we  found,  upon  calculating, 
that  we  could  not  reach  it  before  the  even- 
ing. 

May  31.  Set  off  at  eight  p.  m.,  crossed 
the  Gaurits  River  at  one,  which  though 
sometimes  a formidable  river,  was  now  what 
the  boors  call  empty,  or  not  deep.  There 
being  no  grass  near  the  Gaurits,  we  con- 
tinued travelling  till  two  o’clock,  when  we 
halted  at  a small  stream  where  there  was 
grass  for  the  oxen.  We  were  there  joined 
by  two  fat  oxen,  which  had  strayed  from  the 
people  who  were  bringing  for  us  a supply  of 
oxen  from  Pacaltsdorp  to  Caledon.  These 
two  oxen  had  remained  feeding  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood till  they  heard  the  lowing  of  their 
old  companions,  when  they  joined  them,  and 
actually  strove  to  be  yoked  along  with  them, 
in  the  same  position  in  which  they  had  been 
accustomed  to  draw.  We  supposed  them  to 
have  been  the  third  pair  of  oxen,  from  the 
wagon;  for  they  strove  to  be  reinstated  in 
that  position. 

June  1.  We  were  surprised  in  the  morn- 
ing to  find  our  wagons  covered  with  hoar 
frost,  and  the  water  with  a thin  surface  of 


120 


JOURNEY  TO 


ice.  Departed  at  nine  a.ji.,  passed  a boor’s 
where  they  were  skinning  a tiger  wolf,* 


which  they  had  just  shot.  The  amazing 
strength  of  its  neck  struck  us  all.  We  came 
to  a small  river  of  clear  water,  at  which  we 
designed  to  halt;  but  finding  the  water  was 
brak,  or  saltish,  we  went  forward  till  we 
came  to  better.  Such  boors  as  are  accus- 
tomed to  brak  water  actually  prefer  it  to 
sweet,  or  what  we  call  good  water. 

Crossed  the  Little  Brak  River  at  ten  p.  m., 
and  soon  after  reached  the  Great  Brak  River, 
which  being  only  two  miles  from  the  ocean, 
can  only  be  crossed  at  low  water,  owing  to 
the  tide.  Judging  it  to  be  full,  we  did  not 
attempt  to  cross,  but  resolved  to  wait  till  the 
tide  retired.  The  Hottentots  by  turns  were 


Hycena  crocuta.  The  spotted  hyaena  of  Pennant. 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  121 

to  watch  the  river  during  the  night,  and 
when  it  should  become  low,  they  were  to 
awake  the  whole  party  to  embrace  the  op- 
portunity of  getting  over.  On  awaking  at 
day  light,  we  were  surprised  to  hear  the  Hot- 
tentots assert  that  no  alteration  had  taken 
place  in  the  river  during  the  whole  night. 

Dr.  Philip  and  I took  a walk  to  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  to  examine  the  matter.  We 
found  it  completely  choked  Avith  sand,  a 
high  bar  being  formed  across  the  mouth,  as 
the  Hottentots  had  conjectured,  driven  up 
by  the  waves  dashing  with  great  violence 
against  the  beach.  On  returning  to  the  wa- 
gons, we  sent  one  of  our  people  on  horse- 
back to  try  the  depth  of  the  river.  To- 
wards the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  which 
was  the  deepest  part,  little  more  than  the 
back-bone  of  the  horse  Avas  visible  above 
Avater.  We  then  Avenl  to  work  to  raise  all 
our  trunks  and  parcels  in  the  Avagons  upon 
the  cadels,  or  frames  on  which  we  slept. 
We  got  over  without  injury.  The  Avater, 
Avhich  Avas  salt,  came  a foot  higher  than  the 
bottoms  of  the  wagons.  We  found  the  rain 
had  made  the  road  so  slippery,  that  it  in- 
creased the  difficulty  of  ascending  and  de- 
scending the  steep  sides  of  the  hills  we  had 
to  go  over;  hoAvever,  Ave  arrived  safe  at 
Pacaltsdorp  as  twilight  Avas  dying  away. 


122 


PART  IV. 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 


Immediately  on  reaching  the  town,  we 
were  surrounded  by  Hottentots  of  all  ages, 
and  kindly  welcomed  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mes- 
ser, missionary  and  wife. 

As  soon  as  daylight  appeared,  I awoke 
and  went  to  the  front  of  the  wagon,  gazing 
with  astonishment  at  the  novel  scene  by 
which  I was  surrounded.  When  I was  here 
before,  the  place  consisted  of  a few  miserable 
huts,  without  a planted  tree  or  bush,  or  a sin- 
gle acre  of  cultivated  land.  When  Dikkop, 
the  chief,  was  taking  me  to  his  kraal,  or 
town,  I noticed  nothing  like  town  or  village, 
when  only  about  a quarter  of  a mile  from  it; 
the  inhabitants  were  filthy,  and  nearly  the 
whole  clothed  in  tattered  sheep-skins.  They 
wanted  me  to  send  them  a missionary;  the 
only  reason  they  could  assign  for  wishing  a 
missionary  to  come  among  them  was,  that 
they  wished  to  be  taught  the  same  things 
that  white  people  were  taught,  but  what  it 
was  they  knew  not. 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  123 

On  looking  round  about  from  my  wagon, 
I beheld  a wall,  six  feet  high,  surrounding 
the  whole  settlement,  enclosing  gardens,  a 
square  house  in  each  garden;  excellent  horse, 
oxen,  and  sheep  kraals,  or  large  square  en- 
closures of  walls  six  feet  in  height,  and  a 
gate  on  each,  for  preserving  their  cattle  in 
safety  during  the  night;  artificial  ponds  of 
water  and  wells;  a church  capable  of  con- 
taining two  hundred  people,  which  is  also, 
on  week  days,  used  as  a school  house.  All 
this,  effected  by  a single  missionary,  in  the 
short  space  of  six  years,  and  among  a peo- 
ple unaccustomed  to  exertion  or  hard  labour, 
is  truly  surprising.  Mr.  Pacalt,  the  mission- 
ary who  effected  this,  died  some  months  be- 
fore our  arrival. 

After  breakfast,  we  rode  over  to  the  town 
of  George,  about  three  miles  distant,  to  pay 
our  respects  to  Mr.  Vankervel,the  landdrost. 
The  alteration  on  that  town  since  I had  been 
there  appeared  nearly  as  remarkable  as  that 
of  Pacaltsdorp.  There  were  then  only  three 
or  four  houses;  but  now,  a long  street  of 
houses,  not  closely  built  together,  reaching 
from  the  entrance  to  the  drosdy  house,  which 
stands  facing  the  street  at  the  other  end,  and 
several  buildings,  forming  the  commence- 
ment of  another  street  to  the  right,  in  which 
stands  the  parish  church.  We  were  politely 
received  by  the  landdrost  and  other  officers. 
We  returned  in  the  evening  to  Pacaltsdorp. 

I addressed  the  people  at  the  evening 


124  pacaltsdorp  and  betiielsdorp. 

meeting  for  worship;  reminding  them  of 
their  poverty  and  ignorance  when  I for- 
merly visited  them,  and  how  glad  I was  to 
see  them  now  in  the  possession  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  many  able  to  read  them;  and  that 
they  had  a Christian  teacher,  a school,  gar- 
dens, fields,  and  these  fenced  with  substantial 
walls;  many  strangers  visiting  them,  highly 
gratified  to  see  the  change  that  had  taken 
place.  I noticed  how  greatly  God  had  dis- 
tinguished them  above  their  forefathers,  who 
never  had  the  gospel;  but,  under  his  direc- 
tion, it  had  come  to  them  both  in  word  and 
power.  I addressed  also  the  young  people. 

The  natural  grass  of  the  settlement  is  what 
is  called  sour  grass.  In  consequence  of  feed- 
ing on  it,  two  of  our  oxen  had  died.  Some 
of  the  gentlemen  at  the  landdrost’s  table,  as 
also  the  landdrost  himself,  asserted  that  if  the 
ground  were  ploughed  two  or  three  times, 
and  well  manured,  sweet  grass  would  come 
instead  of  the  sour,  and  continue  sweet  ever 
after;  that,  wherever  a kraal  has  settled  some 
time  upon  a spot,  the  ground  produces  sweet 
grass  instead  of  sour. 

It  was  delightful,  on  the  sabbath,  to  see 
how  decently  dressed  the  Hottentots  came  to 
worship:  the  females,  in  white  and  coloured 
cotton  cloth;  the  men,  in  blue  jackets,  some 
in  leather  trousers;  others  in  cotton,  and  some 
in  woollen  trousers;  all  carrying  their  Bibles 
and  hymn  books  under  their  arms.  The 
alteration  was  surprising.  A sheep  skin, 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  125 

with  the  wool,  was  the  dress  before;  nor  did 
I then  find  a printed  leaf  in  the  possession 
of  any ; and  most  of  their  bodies  were  covered 
with  dirt. 

June  7.  Visited  the  landdrost;  went  to 
view  his  country  house,  about  three  miles 
from  George,  charmingly  situated  on  a rising 
ground,  commanding  a very  extensive  view 
of  the  surrounding  country.  Immediately 
behind  the  house,  is  an  extensive  forest  of 
ancient  trees,  many  of  which  appear  to  be 
from  thirty  to  forty  feet  in  circumference; 
some  of  them,  at  fifty  feet  above  the  root, 
were  probably  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  in 
circumference,  where  the  branches  com- 
menced. We  walked  for  some  time  in  a nar- 
row path  in  this  road;  few  sights  could  be 
more  interesting.  The  stink  tree  and  the 
iron  tree  were  the  most  abundant;  their 
amazing  age  made  them  peculiarly  interest- 
ing. Mr.  Vankervel  had  obtained  a grant 
of  two  hundred  acres  of  land  there,  and  a 
great  part  of  the  wood,  which,  were  it  in 
Europe,  and  near  the  sea,  would  be  as  a mine 
of  gold. 

June  8.  A number  of  Hottentot  men, 
women,  and  children,  were  employed  the 
whole  day  in  building  the  range  of  wall  in 
front  of  their  gardens,  to  protect  them  from 
all  annoyance  from  the  street.  It  was  of  the 
same  dimensions  as  the  outer  wall  which 
surrounds  the  whole  settlement;  namely,  six 
feet  in  height,  four  feet  wide  at  bottom,  and 
12 


126  pacaltsdorp  and  BETHELSDORP. 

two  at  top.  Six  or  eight  men,  with  spades, 
were  employed  in  cutting  square  thick  sods, 
the  shape  of  large  bricks;  others  forming  the 
wall  with  them;  all  the  rest  were  carriers. 
The  whole  performed  the  work  with  activity 
and  cheerfulness. 

This  method  of  labouring  in  union  in- 
creases their  comfort,  and  promotes  indus- 
trious habits.  After  finishing  a day’s  work, 
I have  been  amused  by  witnessing  the  great 
pleasure  they  seemed  to  have,  when  standing 
at  a little  distance,  viewing  what  they  had 
done,  and  making  their  remarks  upon  it,  and 
all  clapping  their  hands  in  token  of  their  ap- 
probation. Then  the  seniors,  first  moving 
gently  away  to  their  various  homes,  satisfied 
with  what  they  had  effected,  while  the  young- 
er part  lingered  playfully  till  darkness  also 
drove  them  to  their  habitations,  when  the 
whole  group  would  soon  feel  that  rest  is 
sweet  to  labourers. 

Sixty-four  persons  in  the  settlement  could 
then  read;  seventy  children  regularly  at- 
tended the  school,  taught  by  a Hottentot  lad; 
and  six  boys  and  seven  girls  were  learning 
to  write  and  cipher. 

Left  Pacaltsdorp,  June  9,  at  six  p.  m.  Many 
Hottentots  followed  us  to  George,  singing 
hymns  now  and  then  all  the  way.  At  eight 
p.  m.,  we  came  to  a river  at  the  foot  of  Cra- 
dock  Mountain,  where  we  halted  for  the 
night.  The  place  was  surrounded  with  trees, 
whose  leaves  fade.  The  part  of  the  moun- 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  127 

tain  beyond  the  wood  was  on  fire,  or  more 
accurately,  the  brush-wood  on  it  was  burn- 
ing, which,  viewed  through  a small  opening 
in  the  forest,  had  a fine  effect. 

A Hottentot  widow,  with  her  wagon,  was 
returning  along  with  us  toBethelsdorp.  When 
on  her  way  with  her  husband,  about  a fort- 
night before,  having  got  over  Cradock  Moun- 
tain without  any  accident,  her  poor  husband 
happened  to  fall  before  one  of  the  wagon 
wheels,  which  went  over  him  and  hurt  him 
so  that  he  soon  died;  on  which  she  returned 
to  Pacaltsdorp,  to  wait  till  she  could  return 
in  company  with  some  other  wagons.  About 
six  Hottentot  females  are  accompanying  her 
from  Pacaltsdorp,  till  they  shall  see  her  safe 
over  Cradock  Mountain,  when  they  will  re- 
turn with  the  oxen  which  the  people  have 
kindly  lent  us  to  drag  our  wagons  across  the 
mountain,  consisting  of  seventy-two  oxen, 
under  the  charge  of  six  men. 

At  eight  in  the  morning,  every  thing  being 
ready,  we  began  to  ascend  the  Cradock  Moun- 
tain. The  road  over  this  part  of  the  moun- 
tain chain  has  been  made  since  my  former 
journey.  I then  crossed  it  about  twenty 
miles  further  on,  or  to  the  eastward,  over  a 
place  called  the  Duivil’s  Kap,  or  Devil’s 
Head.  This  is  thought  a better  pass,  though 
steep  and  rugged;  because  in  the  other  pass 
two  mountains  are  to  be  crossed,  here  there 
is  only  one,  and  the  Devil’s  Head  is  many 
hundred  feet  higher  than  the  highest  part 


128  pacaltsdorp  and  bethelsdorp. 

crossed  here.  In  five  hours,  with  little  dam- 
age, all  arrived  safe  at  the  bottom  on  the 
other  side  of  the  mountain.  Few  Europeans, 
on  beholding  the  steepness  and  great  height 
of  the  mountain,  would  have  judged  it  prac- 
ticable to  have  dragged  heavily  laden  wagons 
over  it ; but  it  is  surprising  what  perseverance 
will  effect,  what  apparent  difficulties  may 
be  surmounted.  No  impediment  whatever 
should  be  pronounced  impracticable  without 
a fair  and  resolute  trial , expecting  to  over- 
come it.  The  apostle  Paul  speaks  of  for- 
getting the  things  that  are  behind,  and  pres- 
sing onward  to  the  things  that  are  before,  till 
he  should  obtain  the  desired  prize : this  is 
the  duty  of  every  Christian,  but  far  above  all 
in  the  things  that  concern  his  soul. 

On  reaching  the  summit,  we  paused  to  look 
round  about  us  from  our  elevated  position. 
The  extent  of  country  and  ocean  included  in 
the  prospect  was  great;  but  nearly  the  whole 
of  the  land  that  was  visible,  was  wild  uncul- 
tivated waste.  The  ascent  occupied  four 
hours,  but  we  descended  in  one.  When  our 
kind  Hottentot  friends  had  dined,  and  al- 
lowed their  oxen  a little  time  to  graze,  they 
took  leave  and  departed,  expecting  to  reach 
Pacaltsdorp  before  midnight. 

On  reaching  the  river  where  we  halted 
after  descending  Cradock  Mountain,  we  ex- 
pected to  find  all  our  oxen  ready  to  take  us 
forward,  but  were  disappointed  to  find  that, 
during  the  night,  the  Hottentot  and  Bootchu- 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  129 

ana,  whose  duty  it  was  to  watch  them,  had 
both  fallen  asleep,  when  thirteen  of  the  oxen, 
seizing  the  opportunity  thus  given  them,  set 
off  on  their  return  to  Pacaltsdorp  and  the 
rest  went  off  in  the  opposite  direction,  on  the 
road  towards  Bethelsdorp,fronr  whence  they 
had  come.  On  the  sleepers  awaking,  and 
missing  all  the  oxen,  they  discovered,  by  their 
foot  marks,  that  they  were  gone  in  two  op- 
posite directions.  The  Hottentot  pursued  the 
Pacaltsdorp  ones,  and  the  Bootchuana  the 
others.  We  met  the  Hottentot  on  the  moun- 
tain, and  gave  him  again  the  thirteen  oxen, 
which  we  had  picked  up  on  the  road,  to  drive 
forward  to  the  place  where  we  were  to  span 
out,  or  halt,  and  where  we  should  expect  to 
find  him  on  our  arrival;  but,  on  our  arrival, 
we  found  neither  the  men  nor  the  oxen.  We 
then  dispatched  a Hottentot,  on  horseback, 
to  proceed  forward  in  search  of  them,  who 
found  them  ten  miles  in  advance  of  us.  We 
waited  till  the  evening,  expecting  them  every 
minute,  so  that  we  were  obliged  to  remain 
where  we  were  during  the  night. 

The  only  persons  we  met  while  crossing 
the  mountain  were  three  solitary  blacks,  who 
seemed  to  be  slaves,  stationed  there  to  keep 
the  road  in  repair.  They  were  as  miserable 
looking  human  beings  as  could  be  conceived: 
not  a smile  seemed  ever  to  have  been  on  any 
of  their  countenances;  indeed,  they  hardly 
noticed  us  as  we  were  passing  them. 

June  11.  At  daylight  there  was  no  intel- 


130  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

ligence  respecting  our  oxen;  but,  by  and  by, 
the  Bootchuana  arrived  with  part  of  them, 
but  not  a sufficient  number  to  drag  our  wa- 
gons; and,  none  of  us  being  acquainted  with 
the  Bootchuana  language,  the  poor  fellow 
was  unable  to  inform  us  of  the  state  of  things. 
Mr.  Evans  then  set  off,  on  horseback,  in 
search  of  them,  but  returned  without  having 
seen  or  heard  any  thing  concerning  them; 
however  a farmer  had  promised  to  send  us  a 
few  oxen,  to  assist  in  removing  us  out  of  the 
solitary  wilderness  in  which  we  were  fixed. 

Four  oxen  arriving  from  the  farmer,  we 
were  enabled  to  proceed  on  our  journey.  At 
half-past  four  p.  m.,  we  halted  at  Vanroy’s, 
who  had  sent  the  oxen,  and  who  received  us 
in  a friendly  way.  Not  finding  our  own 
oxen  here,  Mr.  Vanroy  permitted  us  to  take 
forward  his  four  oxen  to  the  next  boor’s 
place,  Mr.  Camver’s;  but,  on  reaching  it,  we 
were  sorry  to  learn  that  our  oxen  not  only 
were  not  there,  but  they  had  not  seen  them 
pass  that  way,  which  made  us  suspect  that 
the  Hottentot,  who  had  the  care  of  them, 
was  taking  revenge  upon  us  for  having  re- 
proved him  for  allowing  the  oxen  to  stray 
over  Cradock  Mountain. 

Mr.  Camver  received  us  kindly.  He  asked 
me  if  I had  not  travelled  that  way  six  years 
before,  which  I had  done.  As  is  their  cus- 
tom, he  gave  us  no  invitation  to  supper, 
though  he  expected  us.  I had  no  intention 
of  returning  to  his  house  from  the  wagon; 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  131 

but  one  of  our  Hottentots  assured  us  we 
were  expected;  “for  the  fire  in  the  kitchen,” 
said  he,  “is  covered  with  pots.”  We  went 
over,  and,  seeing  a long  table  covered,  we 
were  convinced  the  Hottentot  was  right  in 
his  conjecture.  Before  and  after  supper,  the 
youngest  daughter  repeated  a grace  in  the 
Dutch  language,  from  behind  the  chair  which 
stood  at  the  head  of  the  table,  in  which  her 
mother  sat.  The  father  and  aunt  sat  on  each 
side  of  her;  six  daughters  and  two  sons  were 
also  at  the  table.  Most  of  the  females  were 
married,  but  their  husbands  were  absent  on 
the  commando  against  the  Caffres;  and  one 
son  was  along  with  the  field-cornet,  search- 
ing the  district  for  Caffres,  in  consequence  of 
their  having  been  seen  on  the  Krome  River. 

June  12.  At  break  of  day  we  sent  off 
Dantjie,  a Hottentot,  on  horseback,  in  pur- 
suit of  Windfogel  and  our  oxen.  The  Boot- 
chuana  pointed  to  the  road,  about  four  or 
five  miles  before,  where  it  crosses  a river. 
He  made  us,  by  signs,  to  understand,  that, 
two  days  ago,  he  parted  from  Windfogel 
there,  to  bring  to  us  part  of  the  cattle. 

The  road  in  the  Lang  Kloof,  or  valley, 
which  commenced  at  the  foot  of  Cradock, 
has  been  excellent,  quite  level,  so  that  our 
lean  oxen  trotted  along  at  the  rate  of  four,  or 
four  and  a half  miles  per  hour.  The  farmer 
dined  with  us  in  our  tent:  he  can  drink  no- 
thing but  water:  indeed,  he  is  the  greatest 
water  drinker  I ever  heard  of;  I saw  him 


132  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

drink  three  pints  of  water  at  supper  the  pre- 
ceding evening,  and  he  assured  us  he  drank 
a pailful  always  during  the  night.  He  was 
fond  of  our  Dutch  cheese,  and  asked  liberty 
to  send  a small  bit  of  it  to  his  wife,  who  was 
as  fond  of  it  as  himself:  we  sent  her  a small 
cheese,  which  she  well  deserved  for  her  hos- 
pitality to  us.  We  were  almost  ashamed,  by 
her  immediately  sending  us  four  or  five 
pounds  of  excellent  butter,  with  a cow’s 
tongue  boiled  and  ready  for  table.  When 
almost  departing,  we  smiled  at  a message,  by 
a slave,  from  the  youngest  daughter,  request- 
ing a piece  of  sugar:  the  slave  had  brought 
her  bonnet  to  hold  it  in. 

Dantjie  having  gone  to  Windfogel  and 
brought  back  eleven  of  the  oxen,  we  were 
thereby  enabled  to  get  the  wagons  again  in 
motion  at  four  p.  m.  The  post  for  Uitenha- 
gen  passed  us  on  horseback,  carrying  a mus- 
ket, for  defence  against  the  Caffres.  Some 
had  tried  to  persuade  us  not  to  venture  fur- 
ther up  the  country,  because  of  these  Caffres. 
We  soon  passed  the  road  on  the  right,  that 
comes  over  the  Devil’s  Head  Mountain, 
Avhich  took  me  two  days  to  cross  on  my 
former  journey.  I felt  some  interest  in  look- 
ing at  the  spot  where  I encamped  after  tra- 
versing that  troublesome  pass.  The  evening 
was  cold,  like  November  in  England:  nor 
was  it  surprising;  for  the  tops  of  the  moun- 
tains were  covered  with  snow,  it  being  nearly 
the  middle  of  winter  here.  Though  we  were 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  133 

travelling  in  a valley  at  the  foot  of  moun- 
tains, yet,  measured  from  the  sea,  we  were 
on  high  ground. 

At  eight  p.  m.  we  arrived  at  the  field-cor- 
net’s place,  where  we  found  our  lost  Hotten- 
tot, Windfogel;  but  put  oft’  inquiring  into  his 
conduct,  as  the  night  was  cold  and  dark. 
Not  a creature  belonging  to  the  farm  ap- 
proached us,  except  a numerous  band  of  fu- 
rious dogs,  threatening,  like  starved  wolves, 
to  tear  us  to  pieces.  After  halting  a short 
time,  we  proceeded.  At  ten  o’clock  the 
moon  arose,  which  was  hailed  as  a friendly 
visiter,  and  it  soon  dissipated  the  gloom  the 
rain  and  darkness  had  caused.  A little  after 
midnight  we  reached  Vanroy’s  place,  and 
immediately  outspanned.  The  grass  being 
wet,  we  found  it  difficult  to  kindle  a fire; 
but,  after  much  labour,  one  of  our  young 
Bushmen  effected  it.  This  young  man,  lately 
a wild  Bushman,  has  been  acting  for  two  or 
three  days  as  our  waiter  at  meals,  and  has 
acquired  considerable  proficiency  in  the  art. 
Probably  he  is  the  first  of  his  nation  who  ever 
filled  that  office;  tables,  stools,  chairs,  beds, 
knives,  forks,  and  plates,  being  all  equally 
unknown  to  his  people.  We  were  all  pleased 
at  having  advanced  twenty-eight  miles  since 
dinner. 

June  13.  Sabbath.  At  our  morning  wor- 
ship, none  of  the  boor’s  family  attended,  ex- 
cept a young  son  and  the  schoolmaster.  The 
latter  was  a private  in  the  twenty-first  regi- 


134  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

ment  of  light  dragoons  when  I was  formerly 
in  Africa,  and  was  stationed  at  Graham’s 
Town  when  I visited  it.  He  obtained  his 
discharge  on  account  of  ill  health,  when  the 
regiment  was  ordered  to  the  East  Indies, 
upon  condition  of  his  acting  as  a schoolmas- 
ter among  the  families  of  the  farmers  of  the 
Lang  Kloof  for  four  years.  When  not  teach- 
ing, he  works  at  his  trade  of  a gunsmith. 

Two  boys,  of  about  eleven  or  twelve  years 
of  age,  brothers,  a few  miles  from  hence, 
went  out  this  morning,  on  horseback,  to 
shoot.  While  riding  along,  the  musket  of 
one  boy  went  off,  and  shot  the  other  dead. 
It  is  said  to  be  a common  practice  here  to 
permit  children  to  go  out  shooting;  as  for 
doing  it  on  the  Lord’s  day,  it  is  not  consider- 
ed wrong  in  the  Lang  Kloof,  where,  it  is  said, 
that  day  is  generally  spent  in  feasting  and 
dancing.  Their  condition  is  truly  deplorable: 
they  have  no  place  for  public  worship,  nor 
any  kind  of  seminary  for  the  instruction  of 
either  old  or  young,  and  probably  few  books, 
and  still  fewer  who  have  a taste  for  reading. 
They  are  hemmed  in  by  the  mighty  works 
of  God,  their  stupendous  mountains;  but  very 
probably  they  do  not  see  God  in  them. 
Though  the  visible  heavens  declare  Jeho- 
vah’s glory,  and  the  firmament  his  handy 
works,  and  though  their  sound  has  gone  out 
to  all  the  earth,  and  their  words  to  the  world’s 
end,  yet  such  is  the  natural  apathy  of  man, 
that  without  some  one  to  make  it  known, 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  135 

though  men  have  eyes  and  ears,  they  per- 
ceive nothing  of  God  in  them. 

In  the  evening,  Mr.  Evans,  then  mission- 
ary from  Bethelsdorp,  who  travelled  with 
us,  preached  in  the  boor’s  house,  to  the  fa- 
mily, slaves,  Hottentots,  and  our  people,  who 
altogether  made  a congregation  of  about 
thirty  persons. 

The  Lang  Kloof  is  a journey  of  four  days 
with  an  ox  wagon.  I understand  that  it  is  a 
rule  in  the  Dutch  church,  that  none  are  per- 
mitted either  to  marry  or  attend  the  sacra- 
ment until  they  can  repeat  the  catechism, 
and  that,  in  consequence  of  this  rule,  most 
of  the  senior  inhabitants  of  even  the  Lang 
Kloof,  have  a general  notion  of  the  doctrines 
of  Christianity,  but  think  they  stand  in  need 
of  no  more.  The  families  sing  a hymn  in 
the  morning,  and  more  religion  than  this 
they  think  is  not  required.  Cradock  Moun- 
tain lying  between  them  and  their  parish 
church  at  George,  completely  excludes  them 
from  receiving  any  instruction  there. 

At  one  o’clock,  we  began  to  yoke  our 
oxen  to  the  wagons;  but  on  discovering  that 
four  oxen  were  missing,  they  were  obliged 
to  unyoke  and  hasten  to  the  hills  in  search 
of  the  strayed  ones.  Before  they  were  found, 
and  the  wagons  made  ready  for  departing,  it 
was  three  p.  m.  Dr.  Philip  and  I had  walk- 
ed on  before,  three  or  four  miles,  until  we 
came  opposite  to  Barkhouse’s  Place,  where 
we  waited  till  the  wagons  came  up.  From 


136  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

this  there  is  an  ascent  of  half  a mile,  to  what 
may  be  called  the  second  division  of  the 
Lang  Kloof.  The  oxen  being  weak,  it  took 
nearly  an  hour  before  all  our  wagons  reach- 
ed the  summit. 

We  travelled  along  the  kloof  till  about 
eleven  at  night,  when  we  halted  opposite 
Martin  Sondag’s  Place,  nearly  on  the  same 
spot  where  I stopped  a Sabbath  six  years 
before. 

June  15.  On  visiting  the  farm  house,  we 
were  surprised  to  see  eight  large  framed 
paintings,  of  persons  on  horseback,  among 
them,  Bonaparte,  Moreau,  Blucher,  Alex- 
ander, and  the  King  of  Prussia.  They  were 
painted  by  a person  at  George,  and  cost 
eight  hundred  rix  dollars. 

Before  departing,  two  lads,  sons  of  a shoe- 
maker in  the  vicinity,  the  elder  about  seven- 
teen, and  the  younger  thirteen  years  of  age, 
stood  gazing  at  us  and  our  wagons  with  a 
most  vacant  stare.  The  elder  could  read, 
the  other  could  not.  Neither  had  been  taught 
any  trade,  they  only  tended  their  father’s 
cattle.  Some  of  our  people  had  asked  the 
eldest  if  he  would  accompany  us  as  a ser- 
vant on  the  journey,  when  he  expressed  his 
willingness;  on  which  they  brought  him  to 
us.  We  asked  if  he  was  really  willing  to 
go;  with  the  simplicity  of  a child  of  four 
years,  he  said,  “Yes,  if  he  had  clothes.” 
Being  asked  if  he  had  travelled  far;  “ No,” 
said  he,  “ I have  never  been  out  of  the  Lang 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  137 

Kloof.”  He  said  he  could  shoot  game.  Be- 
ing also  asked  if  his  father  would  be  willing 
to  let  him  go;  he  said  he  was  willing,  but 
he  was  sick.  Thinking  that  we  should  find 
it  difficult  to  obtain  persons  at  Bethelsdorp 
to  accompany  us  to  Lattakoo,  as  many  of 
the  Hottentots  were  employed  on  the  Caffre 
commando,  we  were  inclined  to  engage  him; 
likewise  hoping  that  travelling  might  rouse 
the  dormant  powers  of  his  mind,  we  felt  de- 
sirous to  take  him  with  us  for  his  own  sake. 
Two  of  our  party  went  to  his  father’s  house, 
to  inquire  if  he  was  willing  to  let  his  son  go 
with  us  on  the  journey;  but  the  poor  father 
said  he  could  not  spare  him,  being  sick,  and 
his  son  was  needed  to  take  care  of  his  horse 
and  cattle. 

When  the  sun  went  down,  the  burning  of 
grass  and  bushes  on  the  other  side  of  the 
mountains,  about  six  or  seven  miles  distant, 
though  we  could  not  see  the  blaze,  so  illumi- 
nated the  clouds,  that  our  light  from  it  was 
as  good  as  a quarter  moon.  Perhaps  the 
burning  of  London  in  1666,  or  that  of  Mos- 
cow in  1814,  did  not  give  more  light  to  the 
surrounding  regions.  The  scene  that  we 
beheld  certainly  approached  to  the  sublime 
and  beautiful.  We  continued  our  journey 
till  near  midnight  in  the  enjoyment  of  this 
light,  and  without  it  we  must  have  been  in 
darkness,  exposed  to  injury  from  the  rough 
parts  of  the  road.  We  halted  for  the  night 


138  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

at  a stream  of  water,  a little  beyond  Jan- 
hind’s  Place. 

June  16.  Moved  at  sunrise,  and  halted 
at  water  near  A.  Ferrara’s  place  about  eight 
a.  m.  Mr.  Ferrara  soon  paid  us  a visit,  con- 
versing freely  in  our  tent  for  an  hour,  on  the 
constant  topic  of  the  inroads  of  the  Caffres. 
He  has  a very  extensive  farm,  sowing  annu- 
ally one  hundred  muids  of  wheat,  and  can 
let  in  water  over  the  whole  ground.  The 
snow  never  lies  in  the  kloof,  but  the  higher 
parts  of  the  mountains  are  often  covered  with 
it.  He  informed  us  that  the  Krome  River 
was  dry,  that  is,  passable,  and  that  there  is 
good  grass  for  the  oxen  all  the  way  to  Uiten- 
hagen,  and  that  no  flour  can  be  obtained  be- 
tween his  place  and  there.  He  asked  twen- 
ty-two rix  dollars  for  the  muid  of  flour;  the 
last  we  purchased  only  cost  twelve:  the  muid 
weighs  two  hundred  pounds.  His  son  was 
greatly  entertained  by  looking  into  a kalei- 
doscope, heartily  laughing  at  every  change 
the  turning  of  it  caused. 

At  six  p.  m.,  when  the  day  was  closing,  we 
departed;  the  fires  on  the  mountains  afford- 
ed sufficient  light  for  travelling.  The  blaze 
had  proceeded  over  to  our  side  of  the  range 
of  hills,  burning  with  great-  fury  and  rapi- 
dity. Every  thing  but  rock  seemed  to  yield 
to  the  devouring  element.  The  illumination 
was  so  brilliant  that,  when  ten  or  twelve 
miles  distant  from  it,  I could  easily  perceive 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  139 

the  hour  by  my  watch.  We  were  favoured 
by  this  artificial  light,  otherwise  we  must 
have  had  great  difficulty  in  groping  our  way, 
from  the  darkness  of  the  night.  We  were 
told  that  this  fire  of  grass  and  bushes  will 
continue  more  than  a month,  should  there 
be  no  heavy  rains.  The  number  of  snakes, 
scorpions,  lizards,  and  other  animals  that 
perish  in  so  extensive  a conflagration,  must 
exceed  all  human  calculation.  Now  and 
then  there  appeared  something  resembling 
volcanic  eruptions,  which  we  supposed  to 
be  caused  by  the  flame  reaching  clumps 
of  bushes  of  a peculiarly  inflammable  kind, 
as  the  turpentine  bush,  which  produces  in- 
stantaneously a large  gas-like  flame. 

At  eight,  we  passed  the  place  of  Stephanus 
Ferrara,  brother  to  the  boor  we  had  last  left. 
He  is  considered  the  richest  man  in  the 
kloof,  though  his  house  bore  no  marks  of 
wealth.  We  crossed  a small  but  rapidly 
running  river,  the  bottom  of  which  was 
strewed  over  with  large  stones.  Some  of 
our  dogs  appeared  more  intimidated  by  this 
than  any  former  river  we  had  crossed,  which 
they  indicated  by  their  howling  and  reluc- 
tance to  cross  it.  Perhaps  their  fear  arose 
from  the  great  noise  made  by  the  river  in 
forcing  its  way  among  the  rocks,  united  with 
the  sound  made  by  our  wagons  dashing  over 
them.  At  half  past  ten  we  took  up  our  resi- 
dence for  the  night  at  Radamere’s  Place, 
where  we  were  still  surrounded  with  light 


140  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

proceeding  from  the  burning  mountains, 
though  we  were  now  distant  fifteen  or  six- 
teen miles  from  the  nearest. 

June  17.  The  morning  light  discovered 
the  beautiful  mountain  scenery  by  which  we 
were  surrounded.  One  of  the  mountains 
had  a peak,  through  which  there  is  an  open- 
ing of  about  half  a mile  in  length.  Mr.  Rad- 
amere  remarked,  that  it  had  the  appearance 
of  having  been  split  into  two  parts  by  some 
convulsion  in  nature,  and  that  a succeeding 
convulsion  had  caused  the  upper  part  of  one 
side  to  fall  against  the  other,  and  thus  an 
opening  through  the  peak  was  left  in  the  un- 
der part.  Mr.  Radamere  was  of  polished 
manners,  and  free  and  open  in  his  conversa- 
tion. When  conversing  about  the  confla- 
gration of  the  mountains,  which  had  so 
cheered  and  assisted  us  in  travelling  during 
the  last  few  nights,  he  mentioned  an  occur- 
rence which  took  place  upon  his  own  grounds. 

Four  slaves  were  upon  the  mountain  be- 
longing to  his  farm.  The  bushes  opposite 
them  had  been  set  fire  to,  which  his  slaves, 
perhaps  from  ‘having  fallen  asleep,  did  not 
notice  till  they  were  so  surrounded  by  the 
burning  bushes  that  escape  was  rendered  im- 
possible. But  having,  providentially,  water 
near  the  spot  on  which  they  stood,  they  put 
their  sheepskin  coverings  into  it,  with  which 
they  made  every  thing  around  them  as  wet 
as  they  could.  The  fire  burned  all  the  bushes 
beyond  this  circle,  and  a tree  under  which 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  141 

they  were  placed,  without  their  suffering  any 
material  injury.  The  instant  he  perceived 
their  situation,  Mr.  R.  approached  as  near  to 
them  as  he  could,  but  could  not  penetrate  the 
wall  of  fire  that  surrounded  them,  nor  could 
he  get  near  enough  to  hold  any  communica- 
tion with  them;  the  noise  proceeding  from 
the  crackling  of  the  consuming  bushes,  as 
well  as  the  distance,  drowned  all  their  voices: 
of  course,  his  anxiety  for  some  time  was  ex- 
treme, till  the  fury  of  the  fire  on  that  part  of 
the  mountain  ceased,  when,  contrary  to  his 
expectation,  he  found  his  slaves  unhurt. 
Their  wet  carosses,  or  sheepskin  cloaks,  had 
also  preserved  them  from  the  falling  of  the 
burning  branches  of  the  tree  under  which 
they  were  obliged  to  stand.  That  water  was 
literally  water  of  life  to  them. 

Mr.  R.  has  three  sons  and  a son-in-law, 
all  of  whom  are  with  the  commando  against 
the  Caffres;  two  were  obliged  to  go,  the  other 
two  went  as  volunteers.  Judging  that  there 
must  be  a great  scarcity  soon,  owing  to  the 
great  number  of  farmers  who  have  thus  been 
called  away  from  cultivating  the  land,  Mr.  R. 
is  ploughing  much  more  land  than  he  does 
in  ordinary  years,  and  the  speculation  is 
likely  to  be  a profitable  one.  He  generally 
sows  forty  muids  of  corn. 

Went  forward  at  three  p.  m.  I walked 
ahead  of  the  wagons  for  about  five  miles, 
during  which  time  I visited  a small  party 
of  Hottentots,  sitting  around  a fire  among 
13 


142  pacaltsdorp  and  bethelsdorp. 

bushes.  It  consisted  of  a man,  woman,  and 
girl  about  fifteen  years  old;  they  appeared 
quite  at  home,  smoking  contentedly,  and  the 
girl  mending  part  of  her  gown,  which  was  a 
print;  the  others  wore  nothing  but  sheep- 
skins. At  six,  crossed  the  Greatsinger  River, 
which  is  the  largest  in  the  Lang  Kloof;  it  was 
wide,  and  some  parts  of  it  deep,  where  we 
crossed.  The  night  was  dark,  and  some 
parts  of  the  road  were  very  rough,  made  so 
by  the  crossing  of  little  streams  during  rain, 
causing  deep  cuts  across  it.  One  of  our 
strongest  looking  oxen  fell  down  from  some 
sudden  disease,  which  detained  us  about  half 
an  hour  before  we  got  him  on  his  legs.  At 
eleven  we  arrived  safe  at  the  side  of  the 
Krome  River,  where  we  took  up  our  abode 
for  the  night.  Owing  to  the  dampness  of  the 
grass,  from  some  drizzling  rain  that  had 
fallen,  it  was  some  time  before  a fire  could  be 
kindled.  Here  terminated  the  Lang  Kloof, 
and  another  commenced,  called  the  Krome 
River  Kloof,  which  may  be  considered  a con- 
tinuation of  the  Lang  Kloof. 

In  the  morning,  we  found  ourselves  en- 
closed by  hills,  except  in  the  direction  of  the 
Krome  Kloof,  which  is  a narrow  valley,  down 
which  we  could  look  for  about  seven  miles, 
which  rendered  the  spot  where  we  were  halt- 
ing extremely  pleasant.  Having  to  cross  the 
river  about  eight  times  before  we  should  en- 
tirely clear  it,  we  were  anxious  to  get  for- 
ward as  fast  as  possible,  lest  it  should  sud- 


PACALTSDORP  AND  EETHELSDORP.  143 

denly  rise  so  as  to  be  rendered  impassable. 
We  went  forward  at  nine  p.  jvr.;  the  road 
lying  along  the  side  of  slanting  hills,  the 
travelling  was  somewhat  intricate. 

We  went  to  examine  a narrow  kloof  not 
far  from  our  wagons,  which  proved  more 
interesting  than  we  expected.  It  was  com- 
posed of  two  cliffs,  meeting  so  close  at  the 
bottom  as  only  to  leave  room  for  a small 
brook  to  pass  between  them;  the  sides  were 
of  rock,  in  some  parts  perpendicular,  and  in 
others  inclining  backwards,  containing  fine 
projections  of  rock,  from  whence  the  whole 
beauties  of  this  retired  romantic  spot  could 
be  surveyed;  the  river  murmured  unseen  at 
the  bottom,  except  where  it  tumbled  over  a 
cliff  twenty  or  thirty  feet  in  depth.  Trees 
were  beautifully  interspersed  over  both  sides, 
which  were  several  hundred  feet  in  height. 
Some  of  our  people  amused  themselves  by 
detaching  rocks,  of  several  tons  weight,  from 
the  tops  of  the  cliffs,  which  fell  to  the  bottom 
with  a tremendous  crash. 

A large  mass  of  rotten  stumps  of  trees  was 
collected  on  the  top  of  the  hill,  to  burn  during 
the  night,  which  they  said  would  frighten 
away  the  Caffres  from  attacking  us  in  the 
night.  In  the  evening,  our  Bushman  and 
Bootchuana  went  up  and  set  fire  to  it,  after 
which  it  burned  for  several  hours. 

The  Hottentot  women  who  accompany  the 
poor  widow  whose  husband  was  killed  on 
Cradock  Mountain,  and  who  are  travelling 


144  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

with  us  for  security,  have  been  so  fearful  of 
our  being  attacked  by  the  Caffres,  that  they 
are  afraid  to  come  near  our  fires,  preferring 
to  sit  in  the  dark  behind  a bush.  Our  Boot- 
chuana,  whose  language  none  of  our  people 
can  speak,  has  the  least  concern  of  any  of 
our  party,  except  two  or  three  children, 
being  entirely  ignorant  of  any  war  existing 
between  the  Caffres  and  the  colony. 

June  19.  We  proceeded  forward  at  one 
p.  m.,  passed  Hunter’s  Bush  farm  house,  the 
mistress  of  which  was  in  an  unpleasant  si- 
tuation. Her  husband  and  brother  were 
partners  in  the  farm,  but  both  were  absent: 
the  latter  being  on  the  commando,  and  the 
former  was  called  out  about  a fortnight  ago, 
to  assist  in  a party  with  the  field-cornet  in 
searching  for  Caffres  throughout  the  district, 
in  consequence  of  those  marauders  having 
carried  off  the  cattle  belonging  to  two  farmers 
in  the  neighbourhood.  Both  her  friends  have 
written  to  her  that  they  cannot  tell  when  they 
shall  return;  and  the  poor  woman  is  in  con- 
stant dread  of  being  attacked  by  parties  of 
Caffres.  She  has  only  a few  Hottentot  ser- 
vants with  her. 

Some  parts  of  the  road  being  steep  and 
rocky,  our  wagons  had  some  narrow  escapes 
from  being  dashed  to  pieces.  From  the  ser- 
pentine track  in  which  the  Krome  River 
runs,  we  had  to  cross  six  times  this  scroff,  or 
stage.  When  it  is  swelled  by  rains,  from  the 
nature  of  its  channel,  and  the  ground  through 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  145 

which  it  passes,  it  must  then  be  one  of  the 
most  difficult  and  dangerous  rivers  in  the 
colony  for  wagons  to  get  over. 

The  night  was  highly  favourable  for  our 
journey;  though  there  was  no  moon,  there 
was  good  starlight,  frequent  flashes  of  light- 
ning, and  many  vivid  meteors.  My  Hotten- 
tot wagon  driver  appeared  very  anxious  to 
halt  for  the  night  at  the  side  of  the  Krome, 
after  we  had  happily  crossed  it  for  the  last 
time.  I admired  his  ingenuity  and  good 
sense  in  the  arguments  he  adduced  in  support 
of  his  advice:  the  weakness  of  the  oxen,  the 
number  of  hours  they  had  already  been  in 
the  yoke,  the  height  of  a hill  over  which  the 
road  went  a little  further  on,  and  that  the 
road  inclined  so  much  to  one  side  that  the 
wagons  would  be  in  great  danger  of  being 
overturned.  His  representations  were  all 
correct;  but  as  we  wished  to  spend  the 
Lord’s  day  near  some  farm  house,  we  push- 
ed forward  till  near  ten  o’clock,  when  we 
halted  opposite  a farmer’s,  after  the  oxen 
had  been  in  the  yoke  almost  ten  hours;  but 
we  were  glad  to  find  there  was  plenty  of 
grass  on  the  ground:  indeed  the  poor  things 
commenced  eating  it  before  they  were  un- 
yoked. 

We  formed  our  wagons,  for  the  first  time, 
as  nearly  as  we  could  into  a square,  placing 
our  tent  and  fire  within  the  square,  and 
placing,  as  we  had  always  done,  the  wagon 
containing  the  gunpowder,  to  windward  of 


146  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

the  fire.  The  powder  was  not  there  for  at- 
tack or  defence,  but  for  our  support  after 
travelling  beyond  the  frontier  of  the  colon}'’, 
by  shooting  game;  the  square  was  formed 
for  protection  from  the  CafTres,  being  con- 
vinced they  had  penetrated  as  far  into  the 
colony  as  where  we  then  were.  Though  al- 
most midwinter  day  here,  the  thermometer 
in  the  shade,  at  noon,  was  up  to  sixty-eight. 

June  20.  The  day  was  delightful,  the  hill 
scenery  around  was  interesting;  but  the  total 
absence  of  trees,  and  the  scarcity  of  bushes, 
made  the  prospect  dull.  Four  white  inhabi- 
tants, men,  attended  morning  worship  in  the 
tent.  Three  of  them  looked  very  wild;  they 
were  tall  and  strong;  none  of  them  had 
stockings,  and  one  had  no  shoes.  The  oldest 
man  looked  clever,  but  we  found  he  had 
seen  more  of  the  world  than  the  others,  being 
a German  by  birth.  Mr.  Moffat  adapted  his 
discourse  to  their  particular  circumstances. 
They  behaved  with  much  propriety  during 
the  sermon. 

We  found  two  of  the  men  did  not  live 
there,  but  the  two  others  who  did  Avere  fa- 
ther and  son.  We  gave  the  old  man  some 
Dutch  tracts,  which  he  received  with  plea- 
sure. Observing  this,  we  inquired  if  he  had 
a Bible;  he  feelingly  answered,  No;  and  told 
us  that  when  he  was  at  the  Cape,  two  years 
ago,  he  was  about  purchasing  a Bible,  but 
he  found  that  he  had  not  as  many  dollars 
with  him  as  would  pay  for  it.  Mr.  Moffat 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  147 

immediately  brought  his  own  octavo  Bible, 
from  which  he  had  just  preached,  and  pre- 
sented it  to  him.  The  man  hugged  the  Bible 
in  his  arms  as  if  it  had  been  his  darling  child. 
On  mentioning  that  it  would  show  him  the 
way  to  heaven,  he  said  he  believed  it  would 
do  that.  Nothing  that  I witnessed  during 
the  whole  journey  delighted  me  more,  than 
the  manner  in  which  the  father  and  son  acted 
towards  this  copy  of  the  word  of  God.  When 
our  evening  worship  was  ended,  they  carried 
this  treasure  in  a kind  of  triumph  to  their 
home.  In  a certain  sense,  salvation  may  be 
said  to  have  entered  that  house. 

The  oxen  sent  from  Bethelsdorp  to  help 
us  on  our  journey,  arrived  at  six  p.  m.,  which 
was  a very  welcome  sight.  Thermometer, 
at  noon,  72. 

June  21.  The  supply  of  thirty-six  fresh 
oxen  made  us  resolve  to  push  forward  as 
fast  as  possible  to  the  Gamtoos  River,  to  get 
over  while  it  continued  low.  We  therefore 
tied  each  span  of  oxen  to  the  wagons  they 
were  to  drag,  before  it  was  dark  yesterday, 
that  we  might  be  able  to  get  forward  before 
daylight  in  the  morning,  to  the  next  boor’s 
place,  which  was  distant  about  four  hours’ 
drive.  By  doing  so,  the  oxen  would  have 
time  to  rest  and  feed,  so  as  to  enable  them  to 
bring  us  to  the  Gamtoos  River  that  evening. 
About  one  o’clock  in  the  morning  the  oxen 
were  yoked  to  the  wagons,  and  we  travelled 
in  less  than  four  hours  to  Mr.  Moolman’s 


148  pacaltsdorp  and  bethelsdorp. 

place.  I remained  in  bed  in  the  wagon, 
though  some  parts  of  the  road  were  steep 
and  rocky. 

About  sunrise,  Mr.  Moolman,  who  was  a 
friend  and  subscriber  to  the  Missionary  So- 
ciety, came  to  our  wagons,  and  invited  us  to 
a cup  of  coffee;  and,  at  nine,  a.  m.,  to  break- 
fast. We  found  two  families  residing  in 
one  of  Mr.  Moolman’s  houses,  who  had 
fled  from  their  farms  from  dread  of  the  Caf- 
fres.  Thermometer,  at  noon,  76.  Midwinter- 
day. 

Mr.  Moolman  made  us  a present  of  a ba- 
boon, to  take  up  the  interior,  as  a taster  of 
fruit  we  might  meet  with,  and  which  might 
be  unknown  to  us;  if,  after  tasting  it,  he 
found  it  to  be  poisonous,  he  would  throw  it 
away,  and  we  ought  not  to  eat  of  it.  In- 
stinct is  seldom  mistaken. 

Departed  from  Mr.  Moolman’s  place,  about 
ten  o’clock  at  night.  While  I was  sitting  in 
the  wagon,  unable  to  see  the  road,  as  it  was 
dark,  we  came  to  a deep  excavation  made 
by  some  late  rains,  which  extended  some  feet 
into  the  road;  but  being  unperceived  by  us, 
the  wagon  fell  into  it,  with  its  wheels  upper- 
most. The  instant  the  left  fore  wheel  began 
to  sink,  the  driver,  who  sat  before  me,  leaped 
out  on  the  right  side  of  the  wagon.  I 
was  thrown  out  with  force  among  stones, 
falling  on  my  back.  The  wagon  struck  the 
bottom  about  a foot  from  one  side  of  my 
head,  and  a heavy  vessel  full  of  water,  (which 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  149 

they  call  a fagey,  fell  with  great,  violence  a 
few  inches  on  the  other  side  of  me;  had 
either  hit  me,  I must  have  been  killed.  I 
was  only  stunned  and  bruised  a little  by  the 
fall.  The  instant  the  Hottentot  who  drove 
could  leave  the  oxen,  he  came  running  to  my 
help,  lifted  me  up,  and  carried  me  to  a little 
distance  from  where  I lay.  With  much  pain 
to  myself,  and  exertion  from  others,  I was 
got  out  of  the  hollow  in  which  the  wagon 
lay,  which  was  about  forty  feet  in  length,  from 
four  to  five  feet  in  depth,  and  from  eight  to 
twelve  feet  in  breadth.  Such  a pit  on  a prin- 
cipal road,  in  few  civilized  countries,  would 
be  left  without  some  signal,  to  warn  travel- 
lers of  their  danger;  yet  we  learned  after- 
wards, that  there  are  persons  appointed  in 
the  colony  as  inspectors  of  the  roads. 

We  were  obliged  to  remove  all  the  luggage 
from  the  wagon,  and  then  take  it  to  pieces 
before  the  men  could  bring  it  again  to  the 
road.  It  was  two  o’clock  in  the  morning  be- 
fore they  could,  with  great  exertion,  get  the 
wagon  on  its  wheels  again.  I was  obliged 
to  lie  extended  upon  the  grass  among  the 
bushes,  while  all  was  going  on,  being  unable 
to  assist  in  the  smallest  degree.  The  luggage 
remained  scattered  about  until  day-light  made 
its  appearance. 

June  22.  No  sooner  had  day  appeared 
than  we  commenced  repacking  the  wagon, 
as  we  found  no  water  in  the  narrow  pass, 
between  two  ranges  of  hill,  where  we  dis- 
14 


150  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETIIELSDORP. 

covered  ourselves  to  be,  and  also  being  soon 
oppressed  by  the  heat  in  that  confined  situa- 
tion, the  thermometer  being  78,  before  we 
left  it  at  eleven  a.  m.  We  crossed  the  Gam- 
toos  River  at  one  o’clock,  and  encamped  on 
the  other  side,  when  we  all  drank  plentifully 
of  its  refreshing  water. 

Captain  D.,  who  superintends  a farm  near 
where  we  halted,  invited  us  to  dine  with  him. 
We  found  he  had  in  his  employ,  six  Scotch- 
men, six  Irishmen,  a Portuguese,  and  a Mo- 
zambique slave.  He  found  the  Scotch  and 
Irish  troublesome;  as  most  of  those  who  are 
brought  out  come  with  the  expectations  of 
being  gentlemen  on  their  arrival,  and  there- 
fore feel  indisposed  to  work. 

We  left  the  Gamtoos  River  at  four  p.  m., 
and  moved  on  till  eight,  when  we  halted,  as 
the  road  onward  was  rather  intricate  in  the 
dark. 

June  23.  We  moved  forward  at  seven 
a.  m.,  travelling  up  and  down  low  hills  cover- 
ed with  natural  wood,  till  nine,  when  we 
halted  in  a lovely  valley  through  which  the 
Loure  runs.  Thermometer,  in  the  shade, 
78;  though  the  23d  of  June  there,  answers 
to  the  23d  of  December  in  England. 

Left  the  Loure  River  at  noon,  having  im- 
mediately to  drag  up  the  wagons  by  a steep 
and  difficult  ascent,  and  at  sunset  we  had  a 
no  less  difficult  descent  to  accomplish,  which 
brought  us  to  the  Testass  River.  At  eight 
p.  m.,  we  halted  at  a pool  of  water  a few 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  151 

miles  beyond  the  river.  During  the  day  we 
had  several  fine  views  of  the  sea,  and  crossed 
the  grounds  of  New  Ivirke;  which,  though 
in  a natural  state,  much  resembled  a noble- 
man’s park  in  England. 

We  found  a wagon  from  Bethelsdorp  halt- 
ing at  the  same  pool  with  ourselves : the 
people  belonging  to  it  came  smiling  to  salute 
us.  The  country  before  us  was  an  extend- 
ed plain,  though  elevated  to  a considerable 
height  above  the  sea,  and  the  road  good. 
We  met  a Bethelsdorp  Hottentot  on  a jour- 
ney, riding  an  ox;  he  had  some  cooking 
utensils  tied  behind  him;  he  saluted  our 
Hottentots,  and  inquired  how  they  did.  We 
passed  many  oxen  feeding  on  both  sides  of 
the  road,  a considerable  portion  of  which, 
we  learned,  belonged  to  our  missionary  sta- 
tion at  Theopolis,  having  been  sent  thither  for 
safety  from  the  depredations  of  the  Caffres, 
and  the  remainder  belonged  to  Bethelsdorp. 

The  town  of  Uitenhagen,  though  twelve 
miles  distant,  became  visible  from  the  white- 
ness of  the  houses  that  compose  it;  and  also 
parts  of  the  Zwartkops  River,  which  runs 
along  the  grounds  of  Bethelsdorp.  By  and 
by,  we  entered  upon  a valley  which  extends 
down  to  Algoa  Bay,  saw  beyond  it,  to  the 
n.  e.,  the  hills  of  Albany,  once  in  the  coun- 
try of  the  Gonaquas,  a tribe  now  extinct, 
who  inhabited  the  country  which  then  lay 
between  that  of  the  Hottentots  and  the 
Caffres.  The  road  to  Bethelsdorp  lay  along 


152  pacaltsdorp  and  bethelsdorp. 

the  plain.  About  a mile  from  the  settlement, 
Dr.  Philip  and  Mr.  Evans  rode  forward  to 
announce  our  approach.  At  four  p.  m.,  our 
wagons  safely  arrived  in  the  middle  of  the 
settlement,  and  spanned  out  in  front  of  their 
new  church,  exactly  a fortnight  after  leaving 
Pacaltsdorp. 

I observed  a considerable  increase  of  good 
houses  since  my  former  visit  to  Bethelsdorp, 
but  the  total  absence  of  trees,  which  cannot 
grow  there,  and  the  stony  ground  on  which 
it  stands,  give  it  an  uninviting  appearance. 
Soon  all  the  Hottentots  around  repaired  to 
the  wagons.  Nothing  affected  me  more  than 
recognizing  several  among  them  who  had 
travelled  with  me  on  my  former  journey, 
with  whom  I shook  hands  in  the  most  cor- 
dial manner.  I considered  them  as  persons 
to  whom  I was  still  a debtor,  for  their  long 
continued  exertions.  They  said  they  never 
expected  to  see  me  again. 

At  seven,  we  repaired  to  their  meeting  for 
evening  worship,  and  returned  thanks  for 
our  prosperous  journey;  by  the  kindness  of 
God,  not  having  been  once  impeded  by  rains, 
though  travelling  in  the  rainy  season. 

We  had  remarked  that,  from  Zwellendam 
to  Bethelsdorp,  we  had  seen  no  wagons  tra- 
velling up  the  country.  The  reason  assign- 
ed for  this,  was  the  general  alarm  excited  by 
the  irruptions  of  the  Caffres.  Our  own  party 
was  the  only  one  we  saw  upon  the  road 
moving  in  the  direction  of  Caffreland. 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  153 

In  the  morning,  I took  a solitary  walk  up 
a narrow  valley,  to  see  the  state  of  the  gar- 
dens. The  labour  of  erecting  walls  round 
each  garden  must  have  been  considerable, 
perhaps  equal  to  that  of  Pacaltsdorp,  but  far 
less  efficient.  Here  the  walls  of  the  gardens 
were  erected  by  the  individual  family  to 
which  they  belonged,  but  the  walls  at  Pa- 
caltsdorp were  erected  by  the  united  labours 
of  the  whole  population.  In  the  former  case, 
they  would  often  work  with  languor,  and 
under  discouragement;  in  the  latter,  the 
work  went  forward  as  an  amusement,  all 
seeming  cheerful  and  happy,  especially  the 
young  people,  striving  which  should  do  most 
work.  There  also  they  have  much  better 
sods,  or  materials  for  the  work,  and  build 
much  more  substantially  than  here. 

We  spent  the  Lord’s  day  in  the  town  of 
Uitenhagen,  where  the  landdrost  of  the  dis- 
trict resides.  The  parish  church  not  being 
yet  built,  the  minister  preached  in  a large 
room  in  the  morning,  in  the  Dutch  language. 
I preached  in  it  in  the  afternoon,  in  English, 
to  about  forty  soldiers  of  the  fifty-fourth  re- 
giment, and  some  others  who  understood 
English. 

On  Monday,  Mr.  Morison,  with  whom  I 
had  lodged,  kindly  rode  back  with  me  to 
Bethelsdorp.  As  he  had  been  in  business  for 
some  time,  both  at  St.  Helena  and  Port  Jack- 
son,  the  information  he  communicated  made 
the  road  appear  shorter.  Though  the  mid- 


154  PACALTSDORP  and  bethelsdorp. 

die  of  winter,  no  summer  day  in  England 
could  be  finer.  We  passed  some  lovely, 
though  only  temporary  lakes  formed  by  the 
late  rains:  on  the  surface  of  one  of  them, 
wild  ducks  were  swimming.  The  willow 
tree  retained  many  of  its  old  leaves,  and  was 
shooting  forth  new  ones,  and  many  bushes 
and  fields  were  covered  with  flowers. 

The  Caffres  lately  attacked  Graham’s 
Town,  which  is  the  nearest  colonial  town  to 
Caffreland,  and  the  head  quarters  of  the 
army.  This  attack  had  astonished  many, 
not  only  by  its  boldness,  but  by  the  art  they 
displayed  in  the  affair.  They  passed  undis- 
covered all  the  smaller  military  posts  to  at- 
tack the  principal  one;  and  though  they  did 
not  succeed  in  taking  the  town,  they  captur- 
ed the  cattle  belonging  to  it,  which  was  ef- 
fected by  another  division  during  the  attack. 
It  is  thought  that  at  the  time  they  were  al- 
most famishing;  for  they  have  no  commissa- 
ries to  provide  food  for  their  armies,  and 
they  ate  three  captured  oxen,  without  the 
least  cooking. 

Mr.  Smit,  the  Moravian  missionary,  with 
his  brethren,  and  Hottentots  who  composed 
their  station  on  the  White  River,  are  now  at 
Uitenhagen,  where  they  took  refuge  after  the 
destruction  of  their  settlement  by  the  Caffres, 
and  the  murder  of  nine  of  their  Hottentots, 
and  the  loss  of  all  their  cattle.  The  land- 
drost,  Cuyler,  has  been  very  kind  to  them  in 
their  distress,  in  accommodating  them  with 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  155 

houses  for  their  residence  till  they  can  be 
otherwise  settled. 

In  a late  skirmish  with  the  Caffres,  a Hot- 
tentot called  out  that  he  had  shot  such  a 
Caffre,  naming  him.  What  he  said  was 
overheard  by  the  Caffres,  when  one  of  them 
called  to  him  that  he  lied,  for  his  shot  had 
not  touched  the  man.  It  is  a custom  with 
them  to  conceal  their  slain  as  much  as  they 
can. 

We  visited  most  of  the  best  houses  of  the 
Hottentots,  and  were  pleased  to  see  their 
neatness,  cleanness,  and  good  size.  I found 
in  one  of  them  Valentine,  a young  man  who 
formerly  travelled  with  me,  but  who  now 
appears  in  declining  health. 

Captain  — , who  has  purchased  a farm  in 
the  neighbourhood,  called  at  Bethelsdorp,  to 
see  if  any  Hottentots  could  be  had  to  assist 
him,  for  he  had  only  one  Hottentot  left,  all 
having  been  ordered  upon  the  commando. 
Most  people  regret  the  cause  of  all  this  trou- 
ble; namely,  the  Engish  entering  into  king 
Geika’s  quarrel  with  Slamby  his  principal 
chief,  and  attacking  him  in  support  of  Geika. 
Most  I meet  with  think,  especially  those  who 
feel  inconvenience  from  the  quarrel,  that  it 
would  have  been  better  to  have  left  the 
Caffres  to  have  fought  their  own  battles, 
and  settled  their  own  disputes  among  them- 
selves. 

Captain  — told  me  of  a small  party  of  sol- 
diers who  were  in  pursuit  of  cattle  taken  by 


156  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

the  Caffres,  but  were  surrounded  by  them, 
and  all  slain  except  one  officer  and  a soldier, 
who  leaped  over  a low  cliff,  happily  among 
bushes  which  broke  their  fall,  so  that  they 
were  not  killed.  They  concealed  themselves 
among  the  bushes  until  evening,  when  they 
escaped  to  the  nearest  post. 

July  1.  I was  pleased  to  see  two  boors, 
with  their  wives  and  families,  walking  across 
the  village  from  their  wagons,  to  what  is 
called  the  office,  or  room  at  the  end  of  their 
church,  to  purchase  Testaments.  In  that 
room  is  kept  a stock  of  Bibles  and  Testa- 
ments for  sale,  which  must  be  a blessing  to 
that  part  of  Africa.  The  school  is  only  in 
part  taught  on  the  British  system,  but  the 
whole  plan,  it  is  likely,  will  soon  be  intro- 
duced. 

Nootka,  a Hottentot,  has  been  considered 
a Caffre  spy  at  Graham’s  town.  If  so,  he 
acted  with  much  cunning.  There  he  receiv- 
ed his  rations  daily;  but,  for  some  time  prior 
to  the  Caffre  attack,  he  was  accustomed  to  be 
absent  daily,  in  search  of  a horse  which  he 
pretended  had  strayed.  He  actually  received 
his  ration  as  usual  on  the  morning  of  the  day 
on  which  the  Caffres  made  their  grand  attack 
on  Graham’s  Town;  after  which  he  was 
observed  to  leave  the  town,  and  was  after- 
wards seen  acting  as  guide  to  the  Caffre 
army,  which  was  supposed  to  amount  to  be- 
tween six  and  eight  thousand  men.  In  the 
battle  he  was  taken  prisoner:  but,  while 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  157 

under  their  care,  a man  in  coloured  clothes 
came  and  shot  him  dead.  The  officers  re- 
gretted his  death  at  that  time,  thinking  that 
probably  some  important  information  might 
have  been  obtained  from  him. 

July  4.  Sabbath.  About  two  hundred 
and  fifty  Hottentots  attended  worship. 

Some  of  the  commando  were  fishing  a few 
days  ago  at  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Fish 
River,  where  it  enters  the  Indian  Ocean. 
Some  Caffres  from  the  opposite  side  observ- 
ing them,  called  over  to  them  that  they  were 
cowards,  and  were  afraid  to  come  into  their 
country  to  fight  them. 

Though  only  a little  past  midwinter  day,  I 
observed  two  swallows  flying  about,  one  of 
ash  colour  and  the  other  black,  both  smaller 
than  those  seen  in  England. 

July  5.  The  monthly  missionary  prayer 
meeting  was  held  in  the  evening.  At  the 
conclusion,  the  sum  of  five  dollars  was  col- 
lected in  aid  of  the  Missionary  Society. 

A Christian  Hottentot  was  once  attacked 
by  a Mohammedan  about  his  religion.  The 
simple  Hottentot  knew  nothing  about  dispu- 
tation: he  only  said  to  him,  “I  do  not  ask 
you  about  your  religion,  but  I would  ask, 
What  is  the  state  of  your  heart?” 

July  12.  Monday.  We  intended  to  have 
left  Bethelsdorp  forTheopolis  at  nine  o’clock 
in  the  morning;  but  the  oxen  could  not  be 
found : all  the  afternoon  was  spent  waiting 
for  their  arrival.  At  length  we  determined 


158  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

to  put  off  our  departure  till  one  in  the  morn- 
ing, when  the  moon  would  be  risen,  hoping 
the  oxen  would  be  found  by  that  time.  Our 
mattresses  being  in  the  wagons,  we  all  slept 
in  them  to  be  ready  to  depart  during  the 
night,  whether  awake  or  asleep;  but  on 
awaking  at  sunrise,  I was  sorry  to  find  my- 
self still  in  the  middle  of  Bethelsdorp;  how- 
ever, I was  pleased  to  hear  that  all  the  oxen 
had  been  collected.  The  scarcity  of  grass 
around  Bethelsdorp  had  caused  the  oxen  to 
wander  a distance  in  search  of  it. 

July  13.  After  an  early  breakfast,  we 
were  glad  to  find  every  thing  ready  for  our 
departure.  Many  of  the  people  came  out  to 
to  bid  us  farewell;  and  about  fifty  females 
marched  in  a body,  by  the  side  of  our  wagon, 
for  more  than  a mile,  singing  hymns;  after 
which  they  returned  to  their  homes. 

Mr.  B — , who  was  going  to  Graham’s 
Town,  sat  with  me  in  the  wagon.  He  re- 
marked, that  along  the  coast  of  Africa,  fresh 
water  can  be  got  by  digging  outside  of  high 
watermark;  that  several  birds  change  their 
colours  in  the  winter;  that  there  are  about 
three  hundred  different  kinds  of  heath  in 
South  Africa  ; that  the  baboon  eats  scorpions, 
but  he  is  careful  first  to  break  off  the  tail, 
which  contains  the  poison;  that  what  we 
had  experienced  about  Zwellendam  was  gen- 
eral in  Africa,  namely,  that  the  valleys  are 
colder  than  eminences.  He  mentioned  in 
proof  of  it,  the  constant  practice  of  cattle  to 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  159 

sleep  on  high  ground  in  winter  for  warmth, 
and  in  the  low  ground  in  summer  for  cool- 
ness. Also,  that  in  some  parts  the  strata  of 
the  mountains  are  horizontal:  where  this  is 
the  case,  water  is  most  plentiful ; it  seems  to 
prevent  the  water  from  sinking  down  and 
being  lost;  but  most  rocks  of  the  mountains 
being  perpendicular,  the  water  passes  quick- 
ly down,  and  is  hard  to  find. 

The  decayed  mimosa  and  willow  trees,  as 
also  the  aloe,  are  used  for  tinder  by  the  Hot- 
tentots, and  answer  the  purpose  well. 

While  at  dinner  in  the  tent,  we  were  visit- 
ed by  a boor  and  his  brother,  who  had  fled 
from  his  farm  on  the  Zondag  (or  Sunday) 
River,  in  consequence  of  the  Caffres  having 
attacked  and  plundered  his  house  of  every 
thing.  A short  time  before,  he  had  a narrow 
escape  from  being  murdered:  while  riding 
with  his  brother  at  a distance  from  his  house, 
the  rain  fell  in  torrents,  and  was  blown  in 
his  face  by  the  wind,  so  that  he  could  not 
look  up;  he  asked  his  brother  to  try  and  look 
up  to  see  if  any  Caffres  were  near.  He  im- 
mediately observed  a party  of  Caffres  at  a 
little  distance  before  them,  who  were  on  the 
point  of  throwing  their  javelins,  or  assagays, 
at  them.  He  and  his  brother  instantly  clapp- 
ed their  spurs  to  their  horses  and  galloped 
through  the  middle  of  them;  which  was  such 
an  unexpected  occurrence  that  they  were 
permitted  to  pass  without  being  attacked. 

We  left  the  Koecha  River  at  four  p.  m.: 


160  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

ten  armed  Hottentot  soldiers,  granted  by  the 
landdrost  for  our  protection,  now  marched  in 
a soldier-like  manner  before,  and  eight  others 
dispersed  themselves  in  different  positions 
among  our  three  wagons.  At  narrow  passes, 
those  ahead  halted  till  the  last  wagon  had  got 
through  it.  We  went  along  one  narrow  pass 
between  two  low  hills,  and  these  covered 
with  bushes,  which  extended  more  than  a 
mile.  Being  only  starlight,  a very  few  con- 
cealed Caffres  might,  by  throwing  their  spears 
at  us  as  we  passed  along,  have  killed  or 
wounded  the  whole  party,  without  our  per- 
ceiving from  whence  the  instruments  of  death 
came;  but  a kind  Providence  watched  over 
us. 

About  nine  p.  m.  we  reached  the  banks  of 
the  Zondag  River,  where  we  found  a party 
of  soldiers  stationed,  watching  the  ford.  They 
were  sitting  round  four  or  five  fires.  They 
appeared  to  have  nothing  to  protect  them 
from  the  weather,  but  a few  mats  made  of 
rushes,  suspended  on  the  windward  side  of 
the  fire.  We  got  all  safe  across  the  river, 
though  it  reached  about  half-way  to  the 
backs  of  the  oxen.  The  tide  from  the  Indian 
Ocean  comes  up  to  within  two  miles  of  the 
place  where  we  crossed,  but  having  a bar  of 
sand  across  the  mouth,  no  ship  can  enter  it. 
We  halted  a little  beyond  the  river,  which  is 
the  commencement  of  Zursfeld,  now  called 
Albany;  for  the  possession  of  which,  the 
Caffres  and  colonists  are  now  contending; 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  161 

though  the  war  is  professedly  in  support  of 
Geika  against  Slamby.  Should  the  com- 
mando, now  on  the  eve  of  entering  Caffraria, 
succeed  in  destroying  or  capturing  their  cat- 
tle, consequently  rendering  the  bereaved  Caf- 
fres  desperate,  the  contention  will  be  more 
fierce  and  bloody  than  ever.  The  place 
where  we  halted  was  said  to  be  about  ten  or 
twelve  miles  from  where  the  infant  settle- 
ment of  our  Moravian  brethren  stood,  before 
it  was  destroyed  by  the  CafFres.* 

July  14.  At  five  o’clock  in  the  morning, 
with  moonlight,  we  began  our  morning  jour- 
ney, travelling  across  a thick  forest  a great 
part  of  the  stage,  till  eight  p.  m.,  when  we 
halted  on  the  highest  part  of  a low  hill,  to 
give  our  hungry  cattle  an  opportunity  of 
feeding;  for  they  had  all  been  made  fast  to 
the  wagons,  to  prevent  their  straying  into  the 
clutches  of  the  Caffres. 

Chameleons  are  said  to  be  plentiful  in  Al- 
bany. The  Hottentot  fig-plant,  which  is  a 
succulent,  is  affected  by  difference  of  soil, 
sometimes  producing  yellow  or  lilac  flowers 
of  different  hues,  according  to  the  soil.  When 
the  ground  is  ploughed  up  for  the  first  time, 
here,  as  in  other  countries,  it  often  sends  up 
weeds  which  were  never  seen  upon  it  before. 
Indeed,  it  is  believed  by  naturalists,  from 
facts  which  have  occurred,  that  seeds  will 

* This  settlement  has  since  been  re-established,  and 
has  gathered  many  of  the  natives  under  the  sound  of  the 
gospel. 


162  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

keep  fresh  in  the  ground,  when  beyond  the 
reach  of  air,  for  many  hundred  years,  which 
will  vegetate,  through  the  influence  of  the 
air,  on  being  brought  nearer  to  the  surface  of 
the  ground.  We  passed  several  excavations 
on  the  sides  of  the  hills,  resembling  deep 
quarries,  not  produced  by  art,  but  by  the 
running  of  torrents  of  water  in  the  rainy 
season. 

Went  forward  at  noon.  An  aged  boor 
who  lives  near  Assagai-bush,  travelled  along 
with  us  in  his  wagon  for  protection.  He  was 
a Prussian,  had  been  seven  voyages  to  India, 
and  had  resided  twenty-six  years  in  the  Cape 
colony.  We  travelled  along  Quacha  Plain, 
which  was  smooth  and  level  as  a bowling 
green.  A little  before  sunset  we  halted  for 
a few  minutes  at  Newkerk’s  Place,  or  farm. 
At  present,  three  farmers  and  their  families 
are  residing  there,  who  have  been  driven 
from  their  farms  by  the  Caffres.  One  family 
lost  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  oxen  and 
cows;  another,  one  hundred  and  ninety-five; 
and  the  third,  two  hundred  and  seventy-five. 
The  Caffres  carried  them  off,  as  the  plun- 
dering Sabeans  carried  off  Job’s  cattle,  three 
thousand  years  ago,  who  appear  to  have 
been  the  Caffres  of  those  times.  As  in 
Job’s  case,  so  in  that  of  these  impoverished 
farmers,  their  riches  took  wings  and  flew 
away. 

About  six  o’clock  we  halted  at  Bushman 
River,  where  we  found  a village  wholly 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETUELSDORP.  163 

composed  of  farmers  and  Hottentots  who 
have  fled  from  the  Caffres,  and  live  together 
for  mutual  defence,  waiting  the  issue  of  the 
war.  There  are  upwards  of  twenty  colonist, 
and  more  than  forty  Hottentot  families. 

We  called  on  the  field  cornet,  who  informed 
us  that  the  Caffres  had  resolved  to  invade 
the  colony  the  instant  they  heard  of  the  com- 
mando entering  their  country.  As  a proof 
of  it,  he  mentioned  that  lately  a report  was 
spread  that  the  commando  had  entered  Caf- 
freland,  on  which  two  numerous  parties  of 
Caffres  moved  towards  the  Great  Fish  River, 
which  is  the  boundary  line  between  the  two 
countries,  to  cross  it  and  enter  the  colony; 
but,  on  learning  that  the  report  was  false, 
they  retired. 

Here  the  miseries  attending  war  are  exhi- 
bited, though  on  a small  scale,  by  families 
driven  from  their  peaceful  homes,  suffering, 
of  course,  many  privations,  and  under  con- 
tinual apprehension  of  being  attacked,  rob- 
bed, and  murdered  by  their  barbarous  neigh- 
bours, who  neither  fear  God  nor  man.  With 
some  difficulty  we  crossed  the  Bushman 
River  in  the  dark,  and  halted  on  the  other 
side  for  the  night.  We  had  intended  to  tra- 
vel four  hours  longer,  but  the  Hottentots 
judging  the  oxen  would  be  unable  to  accom- 
plish that,  we  consented  to  remain  where  we 
were. 

At  five  in  the  morning,  we  proceeded  for 
four  hours,  when  we  encamped  on  the  side 


164  pacaltsdorp  and  bethelsdorp. 

of  a hill,  where  the  road  to  Theopolis  sepa- 
rates from  that  leading  to  Graham’s  Town. 
The  Hottentots  remarked,  that  now  we  were 
to  go  out  of  the  world,  for  we  should  not  see 
a house  or  a human  being  till  we  should 
reach  Theopolis,  which  was  upwards  of 
forty  miles.  The  country,  though  abound- 
ing in  grass,  was  destitute  of  trees  and  bushes, 
which  makes  it  look  naked  and  gloomy, 
while  the  district  we  had  left  behind  resem- 
bled a paradise.  The  water  also  is  scarce 
and  brackish.  Five  of  the  commando  pass- 
ed us  on  horseback,  patrolling;  all  had  mus- 
kets. 

At  two  p.  m.  we  moved  along  an  exten- 
sive and  elevated  plain,  covered  abundantly 
with  brown  grass  mixed  with  green;  of 
Avhich  the  oxen  seemed  fond,  though  it  gave 
the  country  an  unpleasant  aspect.  Mr.  Bak- 
kar  picked  up,  among  the  grass,  a species  of 
indigo  plant.  The  Theopolis  road  was  visi- 
ble to  a considerable  distance,  from  the  grass 
being  trodden  down  by  the  feet  of  the  oxen, 
which  gave  it  a degree  of  whiteness,  distin- 
guishable from  the  rest. 

July  16.  Still  travelling  over  a plain.  At 
nine  a.  m.  the  Hottentots  discovered  two  fat 
porcupines,  which  they  drove  towards  the 
wagons.  When  our  dogs  attacked  them,  the 
porcupines  always  turned  their  backs  to 
them,  the  points  of  their  quills  all  lying  in 
that  direction,  which  are  the  chief  means  of 
defence  Providence  has  given  them.  If  the 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  165 

dogs  approached  near  them,  they  suddenly 
sprang  backwards  to  pierce  them  with  these 
weapons  of  defence;  but  the  dogs,  seemingly 
aware  of  their  danger  from  that  quarter, 
always  aimed  at  seizing  them  by  the  head 
or  throat,  where  there  were  no  quills,  these 
parts  being  only  covered  with  bristles.  One 
of  them  always  inclined  towards  a clump  of 
bushes,  and  could  not  be  forced  to  go  in  a 
direct  line  towards  the  wagons  by  the  mus- 
kets and  sticks  of  the  men;  when  near  the 
bush,  it  made  a desperate  effort  to  take  re- 
fuge in  it,  and  succeeded,  so  that  had  any  of 
the  holes  in  which  it  burrowed  been  there, 
it  must  have  escaped.  It  was  some  minutes 
before  it  could  be  driven  from  the  bush,  and 
in  the  struggle  it  lost  much  of  its  armour. 
Both  were  killed  at  a little  distance  from  the 
wagons.  Dr.  Philip,  at  this  time,  was  out 
with  the  horsemen,  and  witnessed  the  killing 
of  a quacha,  or  wild  ass,  which,  in  its  stripes 
over  the  body,  resembles  the  zebra.  The 
men  brought  the  skin,  but  left  the  carcass 
for  food  to  the  wild  beasts. 

Mr.  Moffat  mentioned  a curious  method 
which  the  Namaqua  nation  employ  for  pre- 
venting the  timber  which  they  use  from 
splitting  or  cracking.  They  dig  a hole  in 
the  ground,  the  size  or  length  of  the  timber 
which  they  mean  to  season.  They  place  a 
fire  along  the  bottom  of  this  trench,  and 
when  burned  to  embers,  they  put  a layer  of 
sand  above  the  hot  embers,  on  which  they 
15 


]66  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

place  the  timber,  then  cover  it  with  sand 
and  let  it  remain  for  a few  hours.  They 
then  remove  the  bark  from  it,  and  repeat  the 
operation  next  day,  and  the  succeeding  day 
repeat  the  operation  a third  time.  Such 
timber  is  never  split  by  the  drought  or  great 
heat  of  arid  Namaqualand.  It  is  baking 
wood.  To  prevent  worms  entering  timber, 
it  is  a common  practice  with  many  to  bury 
the  pieces  in  manure  for  half  a day. 

We  halted  at  the  side  of  the  Kareeka  Ri- 
ver, a favourite  haunt  of  the  Caffres,  the 
hills  being  thickly  covered  with  wood.  The 
scenery  on  each  side  was  picturesque.  We 
regretted  that  so  lovely  a place  should  ever 
be  made  a field  of  blood.  In  the  neighbour- 
hood is  a small  hill,  chiefly  composed  of 
limestone,  in  a state  easy  to  be  removed. 

Immediately  on  reaching  the  top  of  a hill 
on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  we  had  a fine 
view  of  the  Indian  Ocean.  Passed  a farm 
belonging  to  Major  Fraser,  landdrost  of  Gra- 
ham’s Town,  which  had  been  destroyed  by 
the  Caffres,  and  had  a gloomy  aspect,  the 
shells  of  the  houses  only  remaining;  the 
garden  was  overrun  with  weeds;  there  was 
a row  of  large  orange  trees  completely  strip- 
ped of  their  fruit  by  the  Caffres  and  baboons. 
All  was  desolation. 

At  five  p.  m.  we  came  in  sight  of  Theo- 
polis,  in  a valley  surrounded  by  low  hills, 
having  their  fronts  decked  with  wood.  We 
descended  to  the  settlement,  and  were  soon 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  167 

welcomed  by  the  population,  who  hastily 
turned  out  to  witness  our  entry. 

I was  soon  accosted  by  several  whose 
countenances  I instantly  recognized  as  hav- 
ing belonged  to  my  party  on  my  former  jour- 
ney. Tzatzoe,  son  of  a Caffre  chief,  whom 
I had  formerly  seen  at  Bethelsdorp,  came 
forward  and  shook  hands.  Mr.  Ulbricht, 
the  missionary  at.  the  station,  kindly  received 
us,  with  Mrs.  Williams,  whose  husband  had 
lately  died  while  actively  labouring  as  a mis- 
sionary in  CafFreland. 

Soon  after  our  arrival,  our  friends  began 
to  relate  the  numerous  perils  they  had  escap- 
ed, the  heavy  losses  they  had  sustained,  and 
the  sufferings  they  had  endured  from  the 
repeated  attacks  and  depredations  of  the 
Caffres.  On  several  different  days  and  nights, 
during  an  incessant  rain  of  six  weeks,  were 
they  surrounded  by  hundreds  of  these  sava- 
ges, who  destroyed  their  gardens  and  fields, 
and  also  carried  off  between  seven  and  eight 
hundred  head  of  cattle.  Frequently  they 
rushed  upon  them  with  their  spears,  fired  on 
them  also  with  muskets,  and  crowded  their 
lanes;  but  they  were  always  repulsed  by  the 
Hottentots,  and  several  of  them  slain.  They 
were  frequently  riding  round  the  settlement 
on  the  tops  of  the  hills,  while  others  pounced 
from  the  woods  upon  the  people.  One  night, 
the  people  were  fighting  with  them  till  the 
morning,  up  to  the  knees  in  water  or  mud, 
from  the  powerful  rains  at  that  time.  While 


16S  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

the  people  were  fighting  in  defence  of  their 
lives,  families,  and  all  they  possessed,  the 
feeble  missionary  like  Moses,  frequently  re- 
tired to  pray  for  their  protection.  The  Caf- 
fres  knew  the  times  when  they  were  accus- 
tomed to  assemble  for  public  worship,  by 
the  ringing  of  the  bell,  and  they  took  advan- 
tage of  it;  wherefore  they  only  assembled 
during  daylight,  and  even  then  every  person 
brought  his  musket  along  with  him. 

The  Caffres,  while  besieging  Theopolis, 
cooked  the  flesh  of  the  oxen  they  had  stolen, 
in  the  houses  at  an  outpost  about  a mile  from 
the  village,  and  also  in  a thicket  of  trees  im- 
mediately opposite.  It  was  always  known 
when  the  Caffres  were  either  approaching 
towards  them,  or  retiring  from  them,  by  the 
number  of  vultures  and  crows  which  hover- 
ed over  them,  to  pick  up  the  flesh  which  they 
could  not  consume,  or  throw  away. 

At  length,  in  consequence  of  repeated  at- 
tacks, the  missionary,  with  the  help  of  the 
people,  resolved  to  fortify  the  place,  which 
he  was  well  able  to  plan,  from  his  acquain- 
tance with  the  fortified  towns  in  the  Nether- 
lands, of  which  country  he  was  a native. 
He  did  not  intend  to  fortify  the  village,  but 
a piece  of  ground  in  its  immediate  vicinity, 
large  enough  not  only  to  contain  the  whole 
population,  but  also  all  their  cattle.  For 
this  purpose  they  enclosed  a square  piece  of 
ground  more  than  an  acre  in  extent,  with 
strong  palisades  about  eight  feet  high.  On 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  169 

each  side  they  carried  out  a redoubt,  by 
which  contrivance  they  could  see  and  oppose 
enemies  coming  in  any  direction.  The  posts 
were  sunk  deep,  and  firmly  fixed  in  the 
ground,  and  these  posts  were  chiefly  com- 
posed of  what  they  call  the  Caffre  tree, 
which,  though  planted  without  any  root, 
soon  grows  well.  Indeed,  we  found  on  our 
arrival  that  they  were  sending  out  branches 
in  all  directions,  which  will  render  the  fence 
more  impenetrable,  and  by  taking  root,  more 
permanent.  The  posts, in  circumference,  were 
similar  to  that  of  a fir-tree  in  this  country,  of 
thirty  years  growth.  Since  that  erection  the 
Caffres  had  not  attacked  them. 

July  17.  Employed  till  dinner  in  settling 
the  affairs  of  the  station,  after  which  we 
went  to  view  the  lands  belonging  to  it. 
They  pointed  out  to  us  the  grave  of  a Caffre 
who  was  slain;  and,  on  a hill  opposite,  two 
other  graves  of  these  poor  men.  The  sight 
certainly  excited  pity  for  men  who,  to  obtain 
a few  feasts  on  flesh,  or  for  the  sake  of  rob- 
bery or  revenge,  could  expose  their  lives  in 
such  a way;  and  we  regretted  that  such 
scenes  should  take  place  around  a spot  ap- 
propriated to  teaching  the  benign  doctrines 
of  the  gospel  of  peace. 

We  viewed  also  a small  grinding  mill, 
erected  by  Mr.  Ulbricht  with  persevering 
industry;  also  the  grounds  where  the  fields 
and  gardens  all  used  to  be;  but,  in  conse- 


170  PAC ALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

quence  of  the  present  state  of  things,  all  was 
lying  waste.  The  Caffres  not  only  took  or 
destroyed  all  the  fruits  that  were  on  the 
ground,  hut  they  actually  tore  up  or  trod 
down  all  their  fences  and  hedges.  Some  of 
the  Hottentots  at  Theopoiis  were  personally 
acquainted  with  many  of  their  spoilers. 

From  the  summit  of  one  of  the  hills  we 
ascended,  we  had  an  extensive  view  of  the 
country  around,  bounded  by  the  Indian 
Ocean  to  the  east.  The  elegant  palms  grow- 
ing on  the  banks  of  the  little  river  running 
in  the  valley  below,  added  greatly  to  the 
beauty  of  the  scenery.  The  scattered  clumps 
of  trees  seemed  as  if  they  had  been  arranged 
by  art,  and  increased  the  beauty  of  the  pros- 
pect. 

Mr.  Ulbricht  pointed  to  the  spot,  where  I 
had  said  on  my  former  journey,  “ If  this  ever 
becomes  a missionary  station,  here  the  church 
ought  to  stand.” 

Mrs.  Williams,  whose  husband  died  in 
Caffreland,  has  two  sons,  Joseph  and  John; 
the  first  may  be  called  a Hottentot,  the  other 
a Caffre,  having  been  born  in  the  two  coun- 
tries. When  the  eldest,  who  is  only  three 
years  and  a half  old,  came  out  of  Caffreland, 
he  could  speak  three  languages,  English, 
Dutch,  and  Caffre.  The  first  he  learned 
from  his  parents,  the  second  from  the  Hot- 
tentot children,  and  the  third  from  the  Caffre 
children.  It  is  surprising  that  so  young  a 


pacaltsdorp  and  BETHELSDORP.  171 

boy,  in  speaking  these  languages,  could  dis- 
tinguish or  separate  the  words  belonging  to 
each  of  them  without  intermixing  them. 

While  in  Caffreland,  Mrs.  Williams  de- 
clares that  on  every  occasion  the  Caffres 
treated  her  husband  and  her  with  kindness, 
and  that  she  never  considered  herself  in  dan- 
ger, even  when  her  husband  was  gone,  and 
they  were  at  war  with  the  colony. 

Our  Bootchuana  was  delighted  to  find  one 
of  his  own  nation  at  Theopolis,  a young  man, 
who  could,  of  course,  converse  with  him;  a 
pleasure  the  poor  fellow  had  not  enjoyed  for 
the  greater  part  of  a year:  indeed  all  that 
time  his  tongue  and  ears  had  been  almost 
useless  to  him.  His  countryman,  having 
acquired  a smattering  of  the  Dutch  lan- 
guage, knew  the  state  of  the  country  in  re- 
ference to  the  Caffres,  and  informed  him  of 
it;  he  being,  though  travelling  with  us, 
utterly  ignorant  of  it.  They  came  together, 
like  brothers,  into  the  room  where  we  sat. 
Our  man  manifested  the  greatest  pleasure  in 
looking  at  his  countryman,  a constant  smile 
being  upon  his  countenance,  bending  his 
body  towards  him,  and  his  right  hand  rest- 
ing upon  his  shoulder;  also,  now  and  then, 
falling  into  fits  of  laughter,  from  no  other 
cause  but  his  being  beside  his  countryman. 

Mr.  Muller,  the  commander  of  a comman- 
do lying  about  three  miles  off,  visited  us  seve- 
ral times  with  some  of  his  brother  farmers. 
He  hoped  we  would  not  attempt  to  cross 


172  pacaltsdorp  and  bethelsdorp. 

from  Bethelsdorp  to  Graaf  Reynet,  while  in- 
fested with  Cadres  as  it  then  was.  This  had 
been  our  intention  after  finishing  our  mis- 
sionary business  at  Bethelsdorp. 

Though  it  is  said  that  fish  on  the  sea  coast 
are  plentiful,  the  people  are  not  benefitted 
thereby,  having,  as  yet,  no  nets  wherewith 
to  collect  this  treasure,  which  Providence 
brings  almost  to  their  door. 

July  IS.  Sabbath.  The  people  assembled 
at  ten  o’clock  for  worship,  by  the  ringing 
of  the  bell.  About  two  hundred  Hottentots 
were  present.  We  were  sorry  to  see  only  a 
few  women  clothed  in  cotton,  the  rest  in 
sheepskins.  Mr.  Moffat  preached  to  them  in 
Dutch,  from  Heb.  iv.  9,  “There  remaineth  a 
rest  for  the  people  of  God.”  After  which, 
Dr.  Philip,  through  an  interpreter,  addressed 
the  people,  on  the  subject  of  love  to  their 
teacher  and  to  each  other;  the  necessity  and 
importance  of  attending  instruction  in  the 
school;  that  the  government,  as  well  as  we, 
were  of  opinion  that  parents  who  prevented 
their  children  attending  school  should  not  be 
permitted  to  remain  at  the  institution;  also, 
that  those  who  constantly  continued  lazy  and 
idle  should  be  excluded,  for  the  apostle  of 
God  says,  that  those  who  will  not  work  shall 
not  eat;  that  a new  system  of  education  was 
soon  to  be  introduced,  by  which  their  children 
would  he  able  to  learn  more  quickly  and 
pleasantly. 

A Hottentot  put  a letter  into  my  hand,  pur- 


PACALTSDORP  AXD  BETHELSDORP.  173 

porting  to  be  from  the  people,  expressing 
thankfulness  for  my  preservation  over  the 
great  water,  (the  ocean,)  and  their  seeing  me 
again  in  Africa  among  them. 

There  is  a white  woman  in  the  settlement 
married  to  a Hottentot,  the  first  instance  of 
the  kind  I ever  heard  of.  Her  conduct  is 
said  to  be  exemplary;  her  parents  are  dead; 
but  by  this  marriage  she  has  lost  caste  in  the 
eyes  of  her  former  white  connexions. 

July  19.  Overheard  some  of  our  Hotten- 
tots at  prayer  long  before  the  dawn  of  day. 

Before  leaving  Cape  Town,  on  my  former 
visit  to  the  interior  of  Africa,  the  present  Lord 
Howden,  then  governor  of  the  Cape  colony, 
offered  to  grant  to  the  Missionary  Society 
any  section  of  land  in  the  Zureveld,  for  a 
new  missionary  settlement,  which  I should 
select.  After  visiting  many  parts  of  that  ex- 
tensive tract  of  country,  with  the  advice  of 
missionaries  who  went  with  me  from  Bethels- 
dorp,  I fixed  upon  this  lovely  and  seemingly 
fertile  spot,  when  every  thing  remained,  per- 
haps, in  the  state  in  which  the  flood  left  it. 
Perhaps  never  one  spadeful  of  its  soil  had 
been  disturbed  by  man  during  all  the  long 
intervening  period.  His  excellency  the  go- 
vernor, when  on  a tour  in  the  colony,  a short 
time  afterward,  went  and  visited  the  spot 
himself,  and  honourably  made  a grant  of  it 
to  the  Missionary  Society,  and  conferred  upon 
it  the  name  by  which  it  is  known  at  present; 
only  requesting  that  the  missionaries  would 
16 


174  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

never  permit  a stately  wild  plum  tree  to  be 
cut  down,  which  stands  in  the  centre  of  a 
plain,  lying  between  the  ranges  of  hills  that 
bound  or  form  the  two  sides  of  the  valley,  a 
little  above  which  the  present  town  is  placed. 
Its  height  is  not  great,  but  the  branches  which 
it  sends  forth  in  all  directions,  like  arms 
stretched  out  as  if  to  salute  every  comer,  are 
very  magnificent.  We  found  it  still  standing, 
decked  with  its  evergreen  dress,  a great  orna- 
ment to  the  field  where  it  is.  I hope  it  will 
remain  for  centuries,  a standing  memorial  of 
the  benefactor  who  gave  us  the  land.* 

The  settlement  commenced  in  the  year 
1814.  That  year  the  produce  of  their  harvest 
was  only  eight  muids,  or  thirty-two  bushels: 
in  this  year,  IS  19,  the  produce  was  one  thou- 
sand muids,  or  four  thousand  bushels.  In 
IS  14,  they  brought  with  them  from  Bethels- 
dorp,  three  hundred  cattle:  in  this  year,  IS  19, 
their  herds  amounted  to  two  thousand;  but 
upwards  of  one  thousand  of  these  had  since 
been  stolen  by  the  Cadres.  An  ox  belonging 
to  the  Missionary  Society,  after  being  taken 
to  Caffraria,  actually  made  his  escape  from 
the  Caffres,  and  returned  to  his  residence  at 
Theopolis. 

The  Caffres  have  different  plans  of  attack- 
ing: sometimes,  while  advancing,  they  quick- 
ly run  a yard  or  two  to  the  left,  then  quickly 
returning  as  far  to  the  right,  or  moving  hastily 


* This  tree  has  since  been  blown  down. 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  175 

in  a zigzag  way,  to  prevent  their  opponents 
taking  aim  at  them.  At  other  times,  they 
rush  forward  with  frightful  impetuosity,  and 
horrid  howling,  till  their  opponents  seem 
ready  to  fire,  when  they  instantly  fall  flat 
upon  the  ground,  till  the  shot  has  gone  over 
them,  then  they  spring  up,  and  throw  their 
javelins  with  such  violence  that  they  will 
penetrate  through  the  body  of  a horse  at  the 
distance  of  forty  yards,  and  then  they  push 
forward  to  the  cannon’s  mouth  or  the  point 
of  the  musket.  Their  most  desperate  attack 
is  after  all  their  assagais  or  javelins  are  thrown 
except  one,  this  they  break  shorter,  and  with 
it  press  forward  into  any  danger. 

When  the  Caffres  were  flying  from  Gra- 
ham’s Town,  after  their  repulse,  they  were 
met  unexpectedly  by  an  officer  and  thirteen 
men,  who  had  been  patrolling.  The  men 
advised  the  officer  not  to  fire;  they  then  rode 
quickly  forward,  though  quietly.  The  Caffres, 
who  from  their  number  could  instantly  have 
involved  them  in  a shower  of  spears,  opened 
a way  for  them,  and  allowed  them  to  pass 
unmolested. 

A young  officer,  who  commanded  a small 
post  of  four  men,  was  attacked  by  a numerous 
party  of  Caffres;  he  made  holes  in  every  part 
of  his  house,  through  which  he  fired  on  the 
assailants.  His  mother,  who  happened  to  be 
with  him,  with  the  four  soldiers,  kept  con- 
stantly loading  muskets  and  handing  them  to 
the  officer,  who  took  a good  aim  at  every 


176  pacaltsdorp  and  bethelsdorp. 

Caffre  who  offered  to  advance.  In  this  way 
he  brought  down  many.  They  then  attempt- 
ed to  burn  his  house,  but  finding  their  at- 
tempts baffled,  they  retired  back  to  the  woods, 
on  which  the  officer  in  triumph  carried  off 
his  mother  on  horseback  to  Graham’s  Town. 

In  the  forenoon,  Mr.  Ulbricht  incautiously 
put  a bag  under  the  table,  containing  fifteen 
pounds  of  gunpowder,  in  the  room  where 
the  family  and  visiters  constantly  sit;  the 
dinner  was  put  upon  his  table,  of  which  the 
family  and  all  of  us  partook.  After  dinner, 
a charcoal  fire  in  a vessel  was  brought  and 
placed  under  the  table,  to  be  ready  for  any 
smoker  to  light  his  pipe  at;  little  cinders  from 
this  fire  vessel  were,  now  and  then,  setting 
fire  to  grains  of  powder,  which  attracted  my 
attention,  and  led  me  to  notice  it;  on  which 
Mr.  Ulbricht  said  he  knew  what  it  was,  took 
the  bag  from  under  the  table  and  carried  it  to 
another  room.  He  then  told  us  the  grains  of 
powder  must  have  fallen  out  of  the  bag  he 
had  taken  away,  and  that  there  were  fifteen 
pounds  of  gunpowder  in  it.  But  for  the  merci- 
ful notice  of  the  grains  exploding,  the  whole 
family,  visiters,  and  many  others  around, must 
in  a few  minutes  have  been  blown  to  atoms. 
I believe  every  one  present  felt  grateful  to 
God  for  the  hairbreadth  escape  from  destruc- 
tion we  had  met  with,  though  we  could  not 
but  severely  blame  the  carelessness  of  our 
companion. 

After  dinner,  Dr.  Philip  and  I,  accompa- 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  177 

nied  by  Mr.  Ulbricht,  left  the  settlement  on 
horseback,  to  view  the  grounds  along  the 
valley  to  the  sea,  a distance  of  about  four 
miles.  The  hills,  forming  the  sides  of  the 
valley  for  the  first  two  miles,  were  thickly 
clothed  with  trees,  whose  foliage  is  always 
green.  A small  river  runs,  in  a serpentine 
course,  along  the  middle  of  the  valley,  which 
seldom  exceeds  a quarter  of  a mile  in  breadth. 
Little  spots  on  the  hills  and  valley  had  evi- 
dently been  cultivated,  but  were  afterwards 
destroyed  by  the  ravages  of  the  Caffres.  To- 
wards the  ocean,  the  river  becomes  a stand- 
ing water,  in  consequence  of  a bar  of  sand 
running  across  its  mouth,  which  so  com- 
pletely dams  it  up,  that  the  fresh  water  can 
only  reach  the  sea  by  oozing  through  the 
sand. 

After  great  rains,  the  river  acquires  such 
an  accession  of  power,  as  to  be  able  to  open 
a way  for  itself  to  the  ocean;  but  no  sooner 
do  its  waters  decrease  in  strength,  than  the 
sea  throws  up  the  sandy  bar,  and  again  con- 
fines the  stream. 

Arriving  at  the  shore,  we  found  a smooth, 
sandy  beach,  extending  to  a considerable  dis- 
tance on  each  side  of  the  opening  by  which 
we  entered,  surmounted  by  a range  of  low, 
steep,  and  remarkably  green  hills:  it  pre- 
sented an  insurmountable  barrier  to  the  fu- 
rious waves  of  the  ocean.  The  constant  suc- 
cession of  rolling  billows  perpetually  break- 
ing upon  the  sands,  with  the  spray  proceed- 


178  pacaltsdorp  and  eethelsdorp. 

ing  from  them,  driven  before  the  wind,  added 
much  to  the  scenery. 

The  termination  of  Theopolis  River  resem- 
bled a considerable  lake,  separated  from  the 
Indian  Ocean  by  perhaps  a hundred  feet  of 
smooth  sandy  beach.  Cranes,  and  various 
kinds  of  beautiful  sea  fowls,  were  standing 
in  the  lake  and  on  the  shore.  These  and  all 
the  surrounding  objects  were,  at  that  time,  of 
a golden  hue  from  the  rays  of  the  evening 
sun,  which  rendered  the  scene  very  interest- 
ing. Our  enjoyment,  however,  was  checked 
by  the  reflection,  that  probably  some  of  those 
savage  CafFres,  who  had  so  lately  attacked 
Theopolis,  might  be  lurking  among  the  neigh- 
bouring cliffs  or  bushes. 

The  sun  being  nearly  down,  we  left  the 
beach  to  return  to  the  settlement  over  the 
hills,  on  the  east  or  opposite  bank  of  the 
river  from  that  by  which  we  had  descended. 
Our  progress,  after  some  time,  was  stopped 
by  the  deep  bed  of  a river,  skirted  on  the 
other  side  by  an  impenetrable  wood.  We  de- 
scended, and  passed  along  its  margin  among 
tall  grass,  and  it  being  almost  dark,  our  horses 
had  many  hairbreadth  escapes,  from  step- 
ping into  deep  holes  made  by  the  burrowing 
of  the  wild  boar.  At  length,  coming  to  a 
wide  sheet  of  water,  Mr.  Ulbricht,  after  has- 
tily saying  it  was  the  road,  dashed  into  it, 
when  instantly  nothing  more  than  his  own 
and  his  horse’s  head  appeared  above  water. 
This  mode  of  crossing  rather  startled  us:  it 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  179 

occasioned  a pause,  and  we  could  not  help 
wishing  for  either  a boat  or  a bridge.  Ob- 
serving our  hesitation,  Mr.  Ulbricht  imme- 
diately recrossed  to  us,  soaked  with  water, 
and  proposed  trying  a pass  through  the  wood, 
made,  by  the  wild  beasts,  which  he  feared 
would  be  difficult  to  penetrate  with  horses. 
Resolving  to  attempt  it,  rather  than  wade  up 
to  the  neck,  we  followed  him  to  a narrow 
passage  in  the  wood,  higher  up  the  river, 
into  which  we  entered  dragging  our  horses 
after  us.  As  it  was  extremely  dark,  we 
were  obliged  to  feel  our  way,  and  had  our 
progress  frequently  obstructed,  owing  to  the 
saddles  being  caught  by  strong  branches 
hanging  across  the  path.  After  pursuing 
the  windings  of  this  intricate  path  for  what 
appeared  a long  time,  we  succeeded  in  get- 
ting out  of  it,  into  ground  covered  with  grass 
and  bushes. 

When  within  a quarter  of  a mile  of  The- 
opolis,  we  were  surprised  by  hearing  several 
musket  shots  fired  from  a thicket  which  lay 
between  us  and  the  town;  these  were  soon 
followed  by  others  from  different  parts,  and 
some  were  fired  from  the  front  of  a hill  at  a 
great  distance.  On  seeing  all  this  bustle,  our 
friend  Ulbricht  concluded  that  the  settlement 
was  attacked  by  the  Caffres,  who  we  sus- 
pected were  between  us  and  it.  We  halted 
to  consider  what  was  most  proper  to  be  done 
in  present  circumstances. 

We  were  soon  afterwards  released  from 


180  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

our  dilemma,  by  a Hottentot  reaching  us, 
with  the  information  that  the  town  was  not 
attacked ; but  that  the  people,  in  consequence 
of  our  absence  so  long  after  it  was  dark,  were 
alarmed  for  our  safety,  and  were  firing  off 
their  muskets  to  intimidate  Caffres,  should 
they  be  attacking  us,  or  to  encourage  us  if 
we  were  approaching.  Before  our  arrival  at 
the  town,  we  were  met  by  Messrs.  E.  and 
M.  with  many  Hottentots  armed,  who  had 
set  out  to  search  for  us:  we  were  mutually 
pleased  to  find  our  apprehensions  altogether 
groundless. 

After  taking  leave  of  many  friends,  we  de- 
parted, at  ten,  from  Theopolis.  Mrs.  Wil- 
liams accompanied  us  in  her  wagon,  having 
been  advised  by  us  to  take  up  her  residence, 
at  least  until  the  return  of  more  peaceful 
times,  either  at  Bethelsdorp  or  at  the  Cape. 
Her  attachment  to  the  miserable  Caffres,  and 
their  country,  which  contains  the  bones  of 
her  departed  husband,  was  very  great;  and 
perhaps  Providence  may  open  a way  for  her 
return. 

Pladge,  who  was  my  wagon  driver  during 
my  former  journey,  took  his  accustomed  seat 
before  me  on  the  wagon;  and  the  same  ox 
that  was  on  that  journey  always  yoked  on 
the  right  of  the  pole,  or  shaft,  was  put  in  the 
same  position  before  me  now.  I thought 
every  particular  hair  or  spot  on  its  back  was 
familiar  to  my  eye.  Several  other  oxen,  that 
then  travelled  with  me,  now  walked  by  the 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  181 

side  of  the  wagon,  which  deeply  interested 
me:  all  this  was  planned  by  the  Hottentots 
for  my  gratification;  for  I knew  nothing  of 
it  till  it  took  place. 

All  went  on  well  till  after  recrossing  the 
Kareeka  River,  when  we  were  ascending  a 
steep  hill,  by  some  means,  the  strong  leather 
rope  to  which  ten  oxen  were  yoked,  slipped 
off  the  strong  hook  at  the  end  of  my  wagon 
pole;  consequently  the  whole  weight  of  the 
wagon  came  upon  the  two  oxen  which  were 
yoked  next  to  it.  These,  being  unable  to 
support  the  weight,  gave  way,  when,  of 
course,  the  wagon  rolled  backwards,  down 
the  hill.  During  the  struggle  of  the  two 
oxen,  while  the  weight  of  the  wagon  was 
dragging  them  downwards,  the  pole  to  which 
they  were  fastened  broke,  or  snapped  in  two, 
so  that  we  were  on  the  eve  of  being  hurled 
with  violence  to  the  bottom  of  the  declivity: 
but  the  wagon  soon  turned  off  the  road,  at  a 
very  rough  part,  into  long  grass,  which  so 
impeded  its  progress  that  the  Hottentots 
stopped  it,  when  all  of  us  got  out  unhurt. 
We  lost  an  hour  by  the  accident. 

At  four  p.  m.  we  halted  at  some  water; 
but  it  being  too  late  for  the  party  from  The- 
opolis  to  recross  the  woods  on  the  Kareeka, 
which  are  infested  by  Caffres,  all  resolved  to 
remain  where  they  were,  for  mutual  protec- 
tion, till  the  next  morning. 

The  number  who  assembled  for  worship 
in  the  evening  was  forty-six;  namely,  ten 


182  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

armed  Hottentots  from  Theopolis,  eighteen 
from  the  landdrost,  Mrs.  Williams,  her  two 
children,  and  two  Hottentot  females,  four 
wagon  drivers,  and  four  oxen  leaders,  three 
missionaries,  and  ourselves. 

July  21.  At  daylight,  when  every  thing 
was  ready,  the  whole  assembled,  when  Mr. 
Ulbricht  offered  up  a prayer  in  the  Dutch 
language;  after  which  we  saluted  each  other, 
and  finally  separated,  to  meet  again  no  more. 
Some  tears  were  dropped,  especially  by  the 
Theopolis  Hottentots. 

We  travelled  till  noon,  when  we  halted 
behind  a clump  of  trees,  where  there  was  no 
water.  Thermometer  74.  The  Hottentots 
are  famous  for  their  ability  to  distinguish 
small  objects  at  a distance.  I had  a very 
good  proof  of  it  a short  time  after  we  were 
in  motion.  Being  on  a plain,  the  ox  leader 
took  his  seat  beside  the  driver,  in  front  of  the 
wagon,  immediately  before  me.  He  was  a 
lad  about  sixteen  years  of  age.  Turning 
round  to  me,  and  pointing  to  a spot  about  a 
mile  off,  “ There,”  said  he,  “ our  people  have 
shot  a quacha;  yes,  it  has  fallen  down  dead!” 
And  sure  enough,  when  we  came  opposite  to 
to  spot,  twenty-five  minutes  after,  the  people 
brought  the  skin  of  the  animal  to  the  wagons; 
but,  when  he  announced  it,  I could  perceive 
neither  quacha  nor  Hottentots.  For  some 
miles,  after  it  became  nearly  dark,  we  were 
amused  by  multitudes  of  fire  flies  flitting 
about  on  both  sides  of  our  wagons.  Their 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  183 

light  resembled  that  of  the  glow  worm:  it  is 
only  visible  when  their  wings  are  extended, 
which  closing  and  opening  of  the  light  alter- 
nately as  they  are  moving  along,  makes  an 
amusing  scene.  We  halted  again  on  the 
banks  of  the  Bushman  River. 

We  crossed  the  river  next  morning,  and 
reached  the  military  post  at  eight  a.  m.  We 
breakfasted  with  Captain  Willet.  His  house 
stands  within  a fortification,  which  is  cer- 
tainly able  to  withstand  any  attack  made  by 
wild  Caffres.  The  minister  of  Uitenhagen 
arrived  on  his  way  to  Graham’s  Town,  to 
accompany  the  commando,  as  chaplain,  into 
CafFraria. 

Lieutenant  M.  commanded  a fort  with 
about  twenty  men,  at  a little  distance.  He 
went  one  morning  at  the  head  of  a patrol, 
consisting  of  himself  and  eight  men.  While 
passing  along  a road  through  a wood,  in  an 
instant  a party  of  Caffres  rushed  out  from  it, 
and,  in  a moment,  killed  seven  of  his  men, 
and  also  two  others  who  were  near,  watch- 
ing some  cattle.  He  ran  down  a cliff,  when, 
at  that  moment,  a single  gun  was  fired  from 
the  fort,  the  sound  of  which  diverted  the  at- 
tention of  the  Caffres  from  him  and  his  cor- 
poral, so  that  they  had  time  to  make  their 
escape. 

We  visited  Mrs. , mother  to  the  officer 

who  defended  her  in  his  small  house  from  the 
Caffres,  and  afterwards  carried  her  off  in  tri- 
umph, as  already  stated. 


184  pacaltsdorp  and  bethelsdorp. 

We  were  able  here  to  procure  a new  dis- 
sel  boom,  or  pole,  for  my  wagon.  After 
thanking  the  officers  for  their  very  polite 
attention,  we  departed. 

In  the  morning,  we  found  there  was  from 
the  top  of  Addo  Hill  a very  extensive  pros- 
pect of  the  plain  before  us,  which  was  entire- 
ly covered  with  wood  and  bushes;  also,  the 
mouth  of  the  Zondag  River,  opposite  to 
which,  in  the  sea,  we  observed  a considera- 
ble bank  of  sand,  which  we  supposed  was  the 
bar  which  completely  blocks  up  the  mouth, 
and  prevents  the  entrance  of  any  ships. 

We  crossed  the  Zondag  River,  and  halted 
at  Lieutenant  A — ’s  at  noon.  All  the  sol- 
diers at  this  post  were  employed  erecting  a 
regular  fort,  to  oppose  any  attack  from  the 
Caffres. 

We  got  through  a long  narrow  defile 
before  sunset;  after  which  we  travelled  on 
a plain  till  eight  p.  m.,  when  we  halted,  be- 
cause the  succeeding  part  of  the  road  was 
too  intricate  to  be  passed  over  in  so  dark  a 
night. 

Next  morning,  we  moved  before  daylight 
appeared.  While  going  down  a steep  de- 
scent, the  main  bolt  of  a wagon  gave  way, 
to  repair  which  detained  us  an  hour.  When 
near  Bethelsdorp,  at  four  p.  m.,  a company 
of  females  met  us,  and  walked  alongside  our 
wagon,  singing  hymns,  till  we  arrived  at  the 
village:  the  journey  to  Theopolis  having  oc- 
cupied eleven  days. 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  185 

Having  much  missionary  business  still  to 
finish  at  Bethelsdorp,  we  were  detained 
there  until  the  4th  of  August.  We  had 
expected  to  be  able  to  travel  from  thence, 
by  the  way  of  Graaf  Reynet,  up  into  the  in- 
terior of  Africa,  to  visit  the  Griqua  country, 
Lattakoo,  and  other  places;  but  all  assured 
us  it  would  be  impossible  at  present  to  travel 
to  Graaf  Reynet,  which  was  about  two  hun- 
dred miles,  the  greater  part  of  the  road  be- 
ing infested  by  the  Caffres.  We  then  deter- 
mined to  consult  the  two  gentlemen,  who, 
from  their  official  situations,  must  be  best 
acquainted  with  the  real  state  of  the  coun- 
try, namely,  Major  Fraser,  landdrost  of  Gra- 
ham’s Town,  and  Colonel  Cuyler,  landdrost 
of  Uitenhagen.  Both  these  gentlemen  de- 
clared it  would  be  unsafe  at  present,  advis- 
ing us  to  postpone  the  journey  till  we  should 
see  the  result  of  the  invasion  of  Caffreland 
by  the  commando.  The  only  other  road  by 
which  we  could  reach  Graaf  Reynet,  was  to 
return  to  Pacaltsdorp,  and  cross  a desert, 
called  the  Karroo.  This  we  resolved  to  do, 
and  for  that  purpose  left  Bethelsdorp  on  Au- 
gust 4th.  On  the  5th,  Mr.  M.  killed  a cobra 
capella  serpent,  having  shot  it  at  the  very 
moment  it  was  making  a spring  at  him.  He 
brought  it  to  the  wagons,  and  laying  it  on 
the  grass,  we  brought  the  baboon  to  it  to  see 
how  he  would  act.  In  consequence  of  the 
long  grass,  he  did  not  observe  the  creature 
till  he  was  close  to  it.  The  instant  he  saw 


186  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

it  he  gave  a scream,  and  sprang  from  it  in 
the  greatest  consternation.  No  one  could 
force  him  to  touch  it.  Several  times  he 
leaped  upon  the  person  who  held  the  cord 
by  which  he  was  fastened,  and  clung  to  his 
clothes.  He  seemed  delighted  when  they 
were  leading  him  away  from  the  serpent. 
A leopard  was  mounted  on  a tree,  near 
where  the  serpent  was  killed,  which  was 
about  two  hundred  yards  from  the  wagons; 
he  was  watching  the  motions  of  an  antelope 
that  was  feeding  at  a little  distance. 

Piet  Manuel,  one  of  the  deacons  of  the 
church  at  Bethelsdorp,  journeyed  with  us 
what  the  Hottentots  call  half  way,  which  is 
one,  or  two,  or  more  days’  journey,  however 
long  the  journey  may  be.  We  conversed 
with  him  in  the  tent  till  after  midnight.  He 
was  born  near  the  Four-and-twenty  River, 
and  brought  up  without  ever  hearing  of  the 
Saviour,  till  ten  years  ago,  when,  he  said, 
Providence  brought  him  to  Bethelsdorp.  He 
had  been  often  at  church  with  his  master; 
but,  being  a Hottentot,  he  was  not  permitted 
to  enter  the  door.  He  was  employed  in  tak- 
ing care  of  the  horses. 

He  said  his  reason  for  following  us  now, 
was  to  get  something  that  would  do  him 
good;  for  he  had  for  some  time  experienced 
less  comfort  in  religion  than  he  used  to  have; 
he  had  neither  so  much  love  to  Jesus  Christ, 
nor  to  his  service,  as  formerly.  He  hoped 
that,  when  Dr.  P.  came  back  to  Bethelsdorp, 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  187 

he  should  be  able  to  speak  to  them  in  Dutch; 
for  he  had  many  things  he  should  like  to 
speak  of,  that  he  could  not  so  well  express 
through  an  interpreter. 

While  at  Bethelsdorp,  one  of  our  party 
was  anxious  to  marry  a female  Hottentot 
there,  who  was  a member  of  the  church,  but 
she  would  not  consent,  because  he  was  not 
a baptized  man,  and  from  what  turned  out 
afterwards  respecting  him,  it  was  well  she 
did  not  marry  him. 

There  is  a green  fly,  very  destructive  to 
grain  in  the  colony.  The  farmers  assert  that 
this  green  fly  came  with  the  English,  when 
they  took  the  Cape  from  the  Dutch. 

We  were  fixed  by  rain  to  the  spot  we  had 
occupied  during  the  night;  as  the  day  ad- 
vanced the  rain  increased.  Some  of  the  Hot- 
tentots remarked,  that  it  rained  in  a similar 
manner  the  last  time  a commando  entered 
Caffreland,  which  rendered  their  fire-arms  al- 
most useless.  It  is  during  rain  that  the  Caf- 
fres  prefer  making  inroads  into  the  colony. 

August  8.  About  three  o’clock  in  the 
morning,  some  of  our  Hottentots  were  en- 
gaged in  prayer  and  singing  hymns.  Dr. 
P.  hearing  this,  and  it  being  moonlight, 
thought  it  was  time  to  get  up;  he  therefore 
dressed,  and  came  down  from  his  wagon. 
On  looking  at  his  watch,  he  was  rather  sur- 
prised to  find  the  hands  pointing  to  three 
o’clock  in  the  morning.  The  Hottentots 
generally  sleep  near  the  fire,  and  with  their 


188  pacaltsdorp  and  bethelsdorp. 

feet  towards  it.  When  one  of  them  awakes, 
he  is  accustomed  to  smoke  a little;  the  smell 
and  noise  awakens  others,  who  immediately 
join  him  in  smoking ; after  which  they  gene- 
rally unite  in  worship  for  a little,  and  then 
go  to  sleep  again. 

August  11.  We  took  advantage  of  the 
morning  moonlight,  by  departing,  at  five 
a.  m.,  and  had  a three  hours’  scoff,  or  stage. 
Some  neighbouring  Hottentots  brought  us 
both  milk  and  butter.  I tried  our  baboon 
with  some  pea-shells,  containing  thirteen 
peas  each,  taken  from  a low  bush,  having  a 
flower  resembling  the  ordinary  pea-bloom; 
he  took  out  a single  pea,  bit  off  a small  piece 
of  it,  chewed  it  a little;  after  which  he  threw 
shell  and  peas  away  in  the  most  careless  and 
indifferent  manner,  not  once  afterwards  look- 
ing towards  them. 

Having  plucked  a branch  from  a tree 
bearing  brown  berries,  I gave  it  to  the  ba- 
boon as  our  taster;  he  eagerly  seized  the 
bough,  and  put  a berry  into  his  mouth,  but 
he  ate  only  the  stone  of  it,  which  was  large 
in  proportion  to  the  fruit,  and  he  appeared 
to  eat  it  with  a relish.  When  he  had  con- 
sumed all  the  berries  on  the  branch,  he  threw 
it  away,  significantly  looking  to  us  for  an- 
other. When  he  is  eating  a piece  of  bread, 
some  of  the  dogs  generally  stand  near  him, 
anxiously  wishing  to  possess  it,  but  none 
venture  to  snatch  it  from  him;  however,  he 
deigns  sometimes  to  break  off  a piece  and 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  189 

throw  it  to  them,  with  a supercilious  air,  as 
if  he  really  reckoned  them  very  inferior  be- 
ings to  himself.  They  take  it  as  if  regards 
less  from  whom  bread  comes,  if  it  only  comes 
to  them.  When  the  wagon  happens  to  have 
a severe  jolt  by  coming  against  a stone,  he 
sometimes  tumbles  off,  but  such  is  his  agility, 
that  he  will  regain  his  position  in  a moment. 

While  halting,  a Damara  man  passed,  un- 
der guard  of  a lad  on  horseback.  He  had 
deserted  from  the  commando  against  the 
Caffres,  and  was  on  his  way  back  to  it.  He 
had  been  different  times  on  the  frontier  of 
Caffreland,  and  had  been  at  our  missionary 
station  at  Theopolis,  where,  he  said,  they 
taught  Jesus  Christ  to  blind  men. 

Left  Mr.  Gritsinger’s  place  at  three  p.  m., 
crossed  the  river,  which  is  wide,  and  to 
strangers  intricate.  Soon  after,  we  saw  an 
exceedingly  dark  cloud  clinging  to  a moun- 
tain, a few  miles  before  us,  from  which 
flashes  of  lightning  frequently  issued,  at- 
tended with  peals  of  thunder.  On  coming 
opposite  to  this  mountain,  the  rain  seemed 
to  fall  upon  us  as  sheets  of  water,  which 
immediately  obliged  us  to  halt.  The  poor 
Hottentots  were  soon  drenched;  with  great 
expedition  they  set  up  our  tents,  and  dug 
trenches  outside,  opposite  the  rise  of  the  hill, 
to  prevent  the  rivers  of  waters  that  descend- 
ed from  passing  through,  or  across  the  tents. 
By  kindling  fires  in  the  middle  of  each  tent, 
they  dried  what  might  be  called  the  floor  of 
17 


190  PACAT.TSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

the  tent,  and  likewise  their  own  clothes,  as 
well  as  they  could.  The  rolling  thunder 
seemed  to  pass  very  near  us;  two  or  three 
claps,  which  I heard  before  I fell  asleep  in 
the  wagon,  were  truly  tremendous.  How- 
ever, the  Hottentots  got  a large  fire  kindled 
outside  the  tents,  at  which  they  cooked  their 
supper. 

August  13.  The  rain  subsided  during  the 
night,  so  that  by  eleven  a.  m.  things  were 
again  tolerably  dry.  We  passed  an  orange 
grove,  which  appeared  beautiful  after  the 
gloom  of  the  preceding  night.  The  trees 
were  loaded  with  oranges,  and  the  sun  shin- 
ing brightly  upon  them,  added  greatly  to 
their  beauty.  We  had  a good  supply  of 
oranges  from  them  for  a few  pence. 

On  reaching  Radamere  River,  we  found, 
though  small  at  ordinary  times,  that  it  now 
reached  in  depth  to  the  shoulders  of  two 
Hottentots,  who  waded  in  to  try  its  depth. 
This  rendered  it  necessary  either  to  halt  till 
it  subsided,  or  to  raise  all  our  chests,  provi- 
sions, and  packages,  at  least  twelve  or  thir- 
teen inches  above  the  bottoms  of  the  wagons, 
which  was  no  easy  undertaking.  However, 
we  preferred  this  labour  to  waiting  for  an 
indefinite  period.  This  being  accomplished, 
we  got  over  without  damage. 

The  poor  baboon,  who  happened  to  be 
tied  to  a board  suspended  under  the  end  of 
my  wagon,  designed  for  carrying  pots,  stools, 
and  other  articles,  afforded  sport  to  those 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  191 

who  could  observe  him  from  behind.  Being 
thirsty,  he  appeared  glad  when  the  wagon 
entered  the  river,  and  put  down  his  head  to 
drink;  but  the  water  speedily  gaining  upon 
him,  with  great  emotion  he  mounted  above 
a pot,  then  retired  backward  to  the  furthest 
end  of  the  board  which  was  suspended  close 
to  the  bottom  of  the  wagon.  Here  he  was 
completely  immersed  under  the  water ; from 
this,  however,  he  found  means  to  extricate 
himself,  by  scrambling  up  the  side  of  the 
wagon,  beyond  the  reach  of  the  water. 

We  came,  at  nine  p.  m.,  to  a river  at  Fer- 
rara’s place,  which  was  so  much  increased 
by  the  rains  as  to  be  impassable:  this  obliged 
us  to  halt  during  the  night  on  its  bank.  At 
daylight,  in  the  morning,  we  found  the  wa- 
ter had  fallen,  so  that  by  eight  a.  m.  we 
safely  got  across.  At  eleven,  we  crossed  a 
wide  and  deep  river,  or  rather  a considera- 
ble pool,  formed  by  a small  river,  which 
reached  the  bottoms  of  the  wagons. 

In  the  evening,  though  the  heavens  were 
covered  by  dense  clouds,  we  had  sufficient 
light  for  travelling,  from  the  burning  of 
bushes  on  the  hills  near  Martin  Zondag’s 
place.  The  burning  had  much  the  appear- 
ance of  long  streets  during  an  illumination. 
At  ten  p.  m.  we  again  reached  Zondag  place, 
which  is  the  highest  part  of  the  Long  Kloof, 
and  the  air  felt  piercing  cold.  For  a great 
part  of  the  journey,  our  Hottentots  preferred 
sleeping  in  the  open  air,  with  their  feet  point- 


192  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

ing  to  the  fire,  to  sleeping  in  the  tents;  but 
now  they  contend  for  them.  They  held  a 
jury  on  Friday  evening,  on  a Hottentot  who 
had  never  assisted  in  putting  up  the  tents. 
They  condemned  him  to  be  put  out  of  the 
tent,  as  there  was  not  room  for  them  all,  and 
that  he  should  sleep  in  the  luggage  wagon. 
This,  to  an  European,  would  have  been  like 
condemning  him  to  be  fined  fifty  pounds, 
and  obliging  him  to  receive  a hundred 
pounds;  but  there  are  many  things  highly 
valued  in  civilized  life,  which  Hottentots, 
through  ignorance  and  inexperience,  despise. 
The  African  nations  feel  no  inconvenience 
from  having  neither  clocks  nor  watches,  but 
let  them  enjoy  them  for  a few  years,  and 
they  will  value  them  as  highly  as  we  do. 
At  present,  the  sun  to  them  answers  all  the 
purposes  of  clocks  and  watches.  If  they  in- 
tend to  meet  at  ten,  or  twelve,  or  two  o’clock, 
they  point  to  the  part  of  the  heaven  where 
the  sun  will  then  be,  and  from  habit  they 
will  meet  almost  to  a minute.  I have  seen 
the  truth  of  this  fully  verified,  even  a thou- 
sand miles  higher  up  the  country. 

August  15.  Sabbath.  Mr.  Moffat  preached 
in  Dutch  to  Mr.  S — ’s  family  and  slaves,  and 
all  our  people.  The  congregation  amounted 
to  forty,  a large  number  in  such  a wilderness. 
Mr.  S.  has  long  been  a real  friend  to  Hotten- 
tots and  missionaries;  he  still  retains  a great 
regard  for  an  old  Hottentot  woman,  who  now 
lives  at  Bethelsdorp,  who  nursed  him  when 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  193 

a child.  Such  was  his  confidence  in  her  in- 
tegrity, that  he  intrusted  to  her  a thousand 
rix  dollars,  to  pay  a debt  he  owed  at  Uiten- 
hagen. 

August  IS.  Wednesday.  This  is  the  fifth 
day  we  have  been  detained,  by  rain,  at  Mar- 
tin Zondag’s  place;  and  though  it  is  the  prin- 
cipal road  in  the  colony,  only  two  persons 
have  passed  us  in  all  that  time,  namely,  a 
slave  and  a farmer.  A drying  wind  having 
blown  during  the  night,  encouraged  us  to 
proceed  on  our  journey,  at  two  p.  m.,  when 
we  were  all  glad  to  find  ourselves  again  in 
motion.  We  had  sufficient  light  to  get  down 
a long  rough  descent,  and  over  the  river  op- 
posite Barkhouse;  but  near  to  another  farm- 
house we  came  to  a plain,  which  a river 
crossed  among  rushes,  forming  considerable 
pools  on  the  road.  In  crossing  the  largest  of 
these,  two  of  the  wagons  got  safely  through; 
but  the  third  was  overturned,  falling  flat  on 
its  side  into  the  water.  By  starlight,  we 
could  perceive  only  the  side  of  the  roof  of  the 
wagon  lying  out  of  the  water;  we  dreaded 
lest  those  in  the  wagon  should  be  drowned; 
we  could  not  distinguish  any  person  near  it. 
But  only  one  had  been  in  it,  and  he  scrambled 
out  well  drenched.  Many  things  were  soon 
seen  floating  about  on  the  surface  of  the  wa- 
ter. All  our  people  having  instantly  run  to 
the  place,  they  collected  as  many  of  the  things 
as  they  could  find  in  the  dark.  At  length, 
every  thing  was  got  out  of  the  wagon,  and 


194  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

brought  to  the  side  of  the  river;  after  which, 
with  great  exertion,  they  raised  the  wagon 
on  its  wheels.  Though  all  their  clothes  were 
soaked  with  water,  the  Hottentots  minded  it 
little,  which,  from  the  coldness  of  the  night, 
rather  surprised  me.  The  drying  of  the 
things  in  the  wagon,  from  the  darkness,  and 
from  the  coldness  of  the  wind,  and  from  our 
own  wet  state,  we  were  obliged  to  put  off 
until  the  morning. 

On  inquiring,  in  the  morning,  into  the 
cause  of  the  disaster,  we  found  it  had  been 
owing  to  the  lad  who  led  the  oxen  yoked  to 
that  wagon,  who  preferred  walking  on  the 
bank  to  wading  in  the  cold  river,  and  conse- 
quently brought  the  wagon  too  near  the  side, 
and  upon  a spot  which  so  raised  the  wagon 
on  one  side,  as  to  make  it  lose  its  balance  and 
fall  over  on  the  other,  so  that  our  loss  and 
inconvenience  was  to  save  a young  Hotten- 
tot walking  a few  yards  in  water.  The  day 
was  a busy  one,  in  drying  the  wet  articles, 
repairing  the  wagon,  and  repacking,  until 
two  p.  m.,  when  we  again  went  forward,  and 
continued  to  find  that  streams,  which  were 
mere  brooks  when  we  went  up  the  country, 
were  now  become  wide  and  powerful  rivers. 

August  21.  We  commenced  the  ascent 
of  Cradock  Mountain  by  seven  in  the  morn- 
ing. A few  hundred  yards  from  the  summit 
is  a cliff  called  Hat  Cliff,  so  called  from  a 
trifling  occurrence  which  took  place  while  the 
road  was  making,  namely,  a whirlwind  car- 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  195 

rying  into  the  air  the  hats  of  the  two  super- 
intendents, which  were  not  afterwards  found. 
The  making  of  this  road  over  the  mountain 
cost  fourteen  thousand  rix-dollars;  and  the 
keeping  it  in  repair  is  an  annual  expense 
of  twelve  hundred  rix-dollars.  We  safely- 
reached  the  bottom  on  the  other  side  at  one 
p.  m.,  where  we  halted  to  breakfast  and  din- 
ner; having  taken  exactly  six  hours  to  pass  it. 

We  began  our  last  stage  to  Pacaltsdorp, 
at  three  o’clock.  On  coming  to  a river,  we 
found  the  descent  to  it  was  down  a solid  steep 
rock  for  about  fifteen  feet.  The  first  wagon 
that  we  ventured  down  tumbled  over  on  its 
side,  a circumstance  which  made  us  all  pause 
before  we  would  risk  another  wagon.  After 
getting  the  fallen  wagon  upon  its  wheels 
again,  the  other  wagons,  by  great  caution, 
were  got  down  without  a fall.  The  rest  of 
the  road  was  smooth  until  our  arrival  at  Pa- 
caltsdorp, about  five  o’clock  in  the  evening. 

After  remaining  two  days  in  Pacaltsdorp, 
settling  some  missionary  concerns,  Dr.  Philip 
set  off  for  Cape  Town,  to  attend  to  a multi- 
plicity of  matters  belonging  to  the  society, 
which  required  his  personal  presence.  But 
I wished  to  remain  here  till  our  way  into  the 
interior  of  the  country  should  be  opened  to 
us,  doing  all  the  good  I could  during  my  stay. 
A few  events  which  occurred,  and  some  in- 
formation which  I occasionally  picked  up 
while  I resided  in  Pacaltsdorp,  will  be  ail 
that  I shall  extract  from  my  journal. 


196  PACALTSDORP  AND  BEl'HELSDORP. 

The  following  fact  concerning  the  young 
Hottentot  lad  who  teaches  the  school  may 
not  be  uninteresting.  Mr.  M.,  the  missionary 
at  the  station,  was  accustomed  to  supply  him 
with  ink  for  the  use  of  the  scholars  who  were 
learning  to  write.  The  missionary  noticed 
that  he  had  not  applied  for  ink  for  a consi- 
derable time,  yet  he  seemed  always  to  have 
plenty  of  the  article.  On  inquiry  how  it  was 
that  he  did  not  now  require  ink  for  the  chil- 
dren, he  said  that  by  boiling  a certain  root, 
he  got  as  much  ink  as  he  wanted.  In  this 
way  the  school  has  been  supplied  with  ink 
ever  since;  it  showed  a spirit  of  inquiry. 

During  my  stay,  I resided  in  the  house 
that  had  been  occupied  by  Mr.  Pacalt,  the 
worthy  missionary  who  commenced  this 
prosperous  missionary  station,  but  died  when 
he  had  brought  it  nearly  to  maturity.  It 
consisted  only  of  one  apartment,  measuring 
twelve  feet  by  ten ; the  walls  were  composed 
of  reeds  plastered  with  clay  outside  and 
within;  and  it  had  a thatched  roof.  This 
was  his  first  house,  in  which  he  continued 
to  reside,  till  his  original  projects  regarding 
the  grounds  were  nearly  realized,  when  he 
built  himself  a larger  dwelling  in  which  the 
missionary  now  resides. 

During  my  first  Sabbath  at  this  place,  the 
rain  descended  in  such  tropical  abundance, 
that  by  evening  the  church  was  surrounded 
by  deep  pools  of  water,  and  the  congrega- 
tion were  prevented  from  assembling  in  it 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  197 

for  public  worship,  a circumstance  which 
had  not  happened  before. 

I employed  part  of  my  time  in  writing  a 
kind  of  catechism  for  the  young  people,  con- 
taining general  information  concerning  the 
creation,  and  other  events  in  Bible  history, 
which  the  missionary  afterwards  translated 
into  the  Dutch  language  for  the  use  of  the 
school. 

A man,  who  had  resided  some  time  in  the 
Wild  Bushman  country,  said  he  had  known 
quachas,  baboons,  springboks,  and  other  an- 
imals, when  chased  by  lions,  leopards,  or 
wolves,  run  to  man  for  protection. 

An  order  came  one  evening,  from  the  land- 
drost  of  George,  requiring  two  drivers  of 
wagons,  and  two  leaders  of  oxen.  A Hot- 
tentot was  sent  for,  and  told  that  on  Monday 
morning  he  was  required  to  go  to  the  Cape, 
to  bring  the  new  landdrost  to  George.  I was 
astonished  at  the  apathy  with  which  he  re- 
ceived the  information;  for  though  it  was  a 
month’s  journey,  he  took  it  with  the  same 
coolness  as  if  he  had  only  been  asked  to  drive 
away  the  flies  from  the  window.  He  sim- 
ply said,  “Very  well,  sir,”  and  walked  out. 
On  expressing  my  surprise  to  Mr.  Moffat,  he 
said,  I should  have  seen  the  same  appa- 
rent indifference  had  he  been  required  to  set 
off  in  half  an  hour;  “the  man  has  nothing  to 
make  ready,  his  body  is  all  he  has  to  carry 
or  care  about.” 

There  is  a worm  here  similar  to  the  com- 

18 


198  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHEESDORP. 

moti  worm  in  England,  only  that  in  the  dark, 
especially  after  rain,  the  whole  body  shines 
like  the  luminous  part  of  the  glow  worm; 
and  when  it  moves  among  the  grass,  it  leaves 
a kind  of  slime  in  its  track  behind,  which 
shines,  for  a time,  with  as  much  lustre  as  its 
own  body.* 

One  evening  a catastrophe  happened  which 
excited  general  lamentation.  While  tolling 
the  bell  to  call  the  people  to  evening  wor- 
ship, all  at  once  the  sound  became  dull  like 
striking  a pewter  plate  with  a stick.  The 
hell  was  spoiled;  the  loss  was  not  merely  the 
expense;  but  two  years  must  elapse  before 
they  could  get  one  from  England  to  replace 
it.  Few  think  of  the  convenience  of  having 
in  England,  at  hand,  stores  of  every  thing 
that  they  need.  In  England,  the  loss  of  a 
hell,  that  could  be  replaced  in  a day  or  two, 
at  the  expense  of  two  or  three  guineas,  would 
never  excite  general  grief  in  a town  or  large 
village.  It  is  far  otherwise  in  many  distant 
parts  of  the  world.  At  Berne’s  village,  in 
the  Griqua  country,  about  the  middle  of 
ploughing  season,  the  ploughshare  of  their 
only  plough  snapped  in  two,  which  could 
not  be  replaced  without  a journey  to  and 
from  the  Cape,  a distance  of  fourteen  hun- 
dred miles,  consequently  the  sowing  time 
would  be  passed  before  they  could  possibly 

* The  luminousness  of  the  earthworm  in  South  Africa 
is  a very  interesting  fact,  which  has  been  noticed  by 
others. — Ed. 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  199 

return.  The  people  were  greatly  alarmed, 
lest  this  untoward  circumstance  should  pro- 
duce a famine  ere  the  return  of  another  seed 
time  and  harvest. 

Two  young  female  Hottentots  called  one 
afternoon,  expressing  a desire  to  go  to  Eng- 
land; but  they  could  not  tell  what  they 
should  do  for  their  support,  when  they  should 
arrive  there.  They  could  both  read  and 
write.  I told  them  that  England  was  a 
country  very  far  distant,  and  that  it  was  very 
difficult  to  get  to  it,  and  the  people  were  very 
industrious.  They  said  they  should  like  to 
live  in  the  country  from  which  so  many  good 
ministers  came. 

A hungry  hyena  is  accustomed  to  visit  the 
settlement,  almost  every  night,  in  search  of 
cattle  or  sheep,  but  without  success.  He 
has  not  cunning  enough  to  be  silent,  but  soon 
announces  his  arrival,  and  from  time  to  time 
intimates  his  continuance,  by  repeating  his 
melancholy  howl.  The  dogs  wisely  keep  at 
a proper  distance  from  him ; but  when  they 
hear  him,  all  instantly  turn  out,  and  unitedly 
make  a hideous  noise  by  their  barking:  their 
rage  does  not  appear  to  intimidate  him,  for 
he  continues  to  let  it  be  known  where  he 
is,  by  repeating  his  howl,  which  is  audible 
above  all  their  noise. 

Dr.  Macrill,  from  George,  visited  the  set- 
tlement one  day,  with  Mr.  Mont,  a Prussian, 
who  was  making  botanical  researches  in  the 
colony.  He  advised  me  not  to  drink  from 


200  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

the  spring  on  the  ground,  which  was  stand- 
ing water,  for  it  had  killed  one  person,  whom 
he  mentioned;  and  that  Mr.  R.,  the  neigh- 
bouring farmer,  had  then  twelve  of  his  fami- 
ly ill  with  typhus  fever,  in  consequence  of 
drinking  similar  water.  He  said,  if  such 
water  must  be  used,  let  it  first  be  boiled,  then 
it  would  do  no  harm;  but  if  running  water 
could  be  obtained,  it  should  be  preferred,  for 
all  pools  are  hurtful.  We  thanked  him  for 
the  information,  which  I wrote  down  , as  it 
should  be  attended  to  in  other  countries  as 
well  as  Africa. 

The  Hottentot  children  observing  me  pick- 
ing up  flowers  and  examining  them,  and 
sometimes  taking  a drawing  of  them,  be- 
gan to  bring  me  large  bunches  of  flowers, 
generally  only  of  one  or  two  sorts  which 
struck  their  own  fancy.  I found  the  scent  of 
such  as  did  not  open  till  towards  evening 
so  strong  that  I could  not  remain  in  the  room 
with  them,  which  obliged  me  to  throw  them 
out  of  doors. 

There  seems  to  be  no  distinctions  of  rank 
as  yet  among  Hottentots;  all  are  on  a level: 
some  dress  better  than  others,  some  have  a 
wagon  and  more  oxen  than  others;  yet  these 
diversities  of  property  make  no  difference  in 
rank;  no  one  will  attend  to  the  counsel  or 
command  of  another.  Were  the  missionary 
to  leave  Pacaltsdorp,  while  this  state  of  soci- 
ety lasts,  every  thing  would  go  to  ruin.  This 
was  nearly  the  case  between  the  death  of 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETIIELSDORP.  201 

Mr.  Pacalt  and  the  arrival  of  his  successor,  a 
period  of  four  months  only.  During  that 
time,  every  thing  was  rapidly  running  to 
ruin ; no  one  took  the  lead  in  any  thing. 
The  men  were  sauntering  about  with  hands 
clasped  behind  their  backs;  sometimes  lean- 
ing against  one  part  of  the  wall,  sometimes 
against  another;  sometimes  staring  at  one 
breach  the  rains  had  made,  and  sometimes 
at  another  without  once  trying  or  even  pro- 
posing to  repair  them:  they  literally  were 
like  sheep  without  a shepherd,  standing  still 
and  looking  about  with  unmeaning  stare. 
On  the  arrival  of  the  missionary,  the  popula- 
tion appeared  like  persons  instantaneously 
awakened  from  a dream;  all  became  life  and 
bustle,  only  requiring  to  be  told  where  to 
apply  their  energies.  I often  attended  on  the 
Mondays,  which  were  devoted  to  carrying 
on  the  public  works  from  sunrise  to  sunset; 
all  were  then  so  active  and  so  cheerful,  that 
the  sight  was  fitted  to  remove  gloom  from 
the  most  depressed  mind. 

There  is  a sort  of  small  bird,  named  Quick- 
tail,  a species  of  our  Wagtail,  which  is  very 
familiar.  Generally  some  of  them  are  seen 
near  the  mouth  of  a horse  while  he  is  gra- 
zing, picking  up  worms  and  reptiles,  which 
he  disturbs  by  the  operation.  They  act  in 
the  same  manner  when  a person  is  digging 
the  ground,  keeping  generally  within  a 
yard  of  him.  They  frequently  picked  about 
my  door,  sometimes  venturing  in,  and  even 


202  pacaltsdorp  and  bethelsdorp. 

searching  for  food  under  the  table  at  which 
I was  reading.  This  confidence  which  they 
place  in  man  makes  man  their  friend;  on 
that  very  acount  he  will  not  injure  them. 

Two  or  three  Hottentot  lads,  who  were  to 
be  my  oxen  leaders  in  the  journey  to  Latta- 
koo,  when  speaking  of  that  journey  to  the 
people  of  Pacaltsdorp,  told  them,  by  way  of 
boasting,  that  they  were  engaged  to  defend 
Mr.  Campbell  from  lions  and  other  beasts  of 
prey;  though  I was  told  that  should  one  of 
those  animals  appear,  they  would  be  the 
very  first  to  flee,  which  turned  out  to  be  the 
true  state  of  the  case;  for  afterwards,  when 
on  the  eve  of  entering  a thicket,  the  strongest 
of  them  was  leading  the  oxen  of  my  wagon, 
and  led  them  first  to  one  side,  then  to  the 
other,  as  we  were  advancing  to  the  opening 
in  the  thicket.  On  asking  my  driver  the 
cause  of  that  strange  way  of  leading,  “ Oh,” 
said  he,  “ he  is  so  frightened  lest  he  should 
meet  a lion,  that  I see  the  very  hairs  stand- 
ing up  on  his  head,”  which  he  concluded 
with  a hearty  Hottentot  laugh.  I heard  no 
more  of  this  lad’s  boasting. 

As  Mr.  Messer  was  ascending  Cradock 
Mountain  with  his  wagon,  when  coming  as 
a missionary  to  settle  at  Pacaltsdorp,  his  oxen 
made  a dead  halt  about  half  way  from  the 
top.  No  method  which  they  tried  could  pre- 
vail upon  them  to  move  a step  higher.  Hap- 
pily, an  intelligent  Hottentot  was  passing, 
attending  a gentleman.  The  Hottentot  took 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  203 

out  all  the  oxen  from  the  wagon,  and  drove 
them  in  the  yoke  a considerable  way  up  the 
mountain,  which  revived  their  spirits.  He 
then  drove  them  down  and  fastened  them 
again  to  the  wagon.  “Now,”  said  he,  “they 
will  take  up  your  wagon;”  and  after  that 
they  did  drag  it  up  with  great  ease. 

I met  with  an  old  soldier  at  a toll-house, 
who  was  a native  of  Poland,  of  that  part  of 
it  bordering  on  the  Turkish  empire.  He  left 
his  home  about  forty  years  before,  and  never 
had  heard  from  his  relations  since  he  left 
them,  except  from  some  recruits  that  came 
from  his  native  place  to  the  English  service. 
He  seemed  to  be  a citizen  of  the  world, 
having  no  attachment  to  any  particular  place, 
being  only  desirous  to  obtain  his  daily  sus- 
tenance. He  was  working  as  a mason,  build- 
ing a small  house. 

Another  person,  who  was  assisting  to  re- 
pair the  road  over  Cradock  Mountain,  was 
born  in  Ireland,  and  brought  up  in  Denmark. 
He  left  home  about  twenty-five  years  before, 
traded  five  years  between  Cork  and  London, 
was  also  fifteen  years  a seaman  in  the  Bri- 
tish navy,  had  never  heard  from  home  since 
he  left  it,  and  appeared  to  have  no  anxiety 
to  hear.  Like  the  other,  he  seemed  satisfied 
if  he  only  obtained  daily  bread.  Both  these 
men  seemed  to  care  for  nobody,  and  it  seems 
very  probable  that  nobody  cares  for  them; 
and  when  they  die,  they  will  have  none  to 
regret  their  death.  They  were  both  utterly 


204  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

ignorant  of  Divine  truth.  Such  characters 
are  common  abroad:  they  seem  stragglers, 
or  outcasts  from  society;  and  yet  so  stupid 
and  hardened  are  they,  that  they  do  not  seem 
to  feel  their  situation. 

The  grass  of  Pacaltsdorp  grounds  being 
chiefly  what  is  called  sour,  is  very  destruc- 
tive to  the  cattle  and  sheep,  at  certain  seasons 
of  the  year.  Dr.  Philip  and  I thought  that  if 
a place  in  the  Karroo  could  be  got  for  a few 
hundred  rix-dollars,  the  society  would  have 
no  objection  to  allow  apart  of  the  money  left 
by  Mr.  Pacalt  to  be  appropriated  to  so  im- 
portant a purpose;  that  the  people  might 
send  their  cattle  to  it  at  those  destructive 
times  of  the  year. 

Hearing  that  Mr.  R.,  a neighbouring  far- 
mer, had  such  a place  in  the  Karroo  to  be 
disposed  of,  Mr.  Messer  and  I went  to  ex- 
amine it.  We  left  Pacaltsdorp  on  horseback, 
on  a lovely  morning,  so  early  as  to  commence 
ascending  Cradock  Mountain  before  nine 
o’clock.  We  found  the  road  greatly  injured 
by  the  late  heavy  rains,  much  of  the  mould 
being  washed  away,  and  man}'-  troublesome 
stones  left  strewed  over  the  path;  but  go- 
vernment had  wisely  ordered  a thorough  re- 
pair. About  twelve  Hottentots  had  left  Pa- 
caltsdorp, before  sunrise  that  morning,  to 
assist  in  the  work:  we  passed  them  a little 
way  up  the  mountain,  sitting  at  the  side  of 
the  road  smoking  their  pipes,  away  from  all 
the  world,  and  evidently  enjoying  their  rest. 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  205 

A Hottentot,  who  accompanied  us,  in  or- 
der to  assist  us  in  judging  of  the  fitness  of  the 
land  for  the  intended  purpose,  told  us  that 
once  he  had  been  a great  drunkard,  but  hav- 
ing one  night  dreamed  that  he  saw  flames 
of  fire  proceeding  from  his  mouth,  in  conse- 
quence of  his  drinking  so  much  spirits,  he  was 
so  shocked  at  the  sight  of  himself,  that  he  had 
never  allowed  himself  to  taste  any  since. 

Left  the  foot  of  Cradock  Mountain  at  one 
p.  m.,  after  resting  our  horses,  and  allowing 
them  to  eat  what  they  could  find.  Instead 
of  turning  to  the  right,  or  east,  up  the  Long 
Kloof,  a road  we  well  knew,  we  turned  to 
the  left,  and  travelled  s.  w.,  on  a road  with 
which  none  of  us  were  acquainted,  and  pass- 
ed Canver’s  farm,  at  the  entrance  of  a long 
valley,  where  we  obtained  some  information 
respecting  the  place  of  our  destination.  The 
valley  along  which  we  travelled  was  seldom 
more  than  two  miles  in  breadth,  bounded  by 
high  hills  on  both  sides;  those  on  the  one 
side  were  tolerably  covered  with  verdure; 
but  those  on  the  other,  being  constantly  ex- 
posed to  the  scorching  rays  of  the  sun,  pre- 
sented nothing  but  cliff’s  and  scattered  stones. 

After  two  hours’  ride,  the  valley  ended, 
when  the  path  turned  in  a western  direction, 
frequently  over  rocks.  At  five,  p.  m.  we 
passed  a farm  house;  but  being  separated 
from  it  by  a river  and  marshy  ground,  we 
could  make  no  inquiry:  we  knew  it  was  not 
the  place  we  were  in  search  of.  We  were 


206  pacaltsdorp  and  bethelsdorp. 

afraid  lest  the  sun  should  set  before  we 
reached  the  boor’s  place,  where  we  expected 
lodging  for  the  night,  being  uncertain  how 
far  we  had  to  travel;  and  nothing  around 
wearing  the  least  appearance  of  a human 
being  ever  having  been  there,  except  the 
rough  path  on  which  we  trod.  At  length, 
about  six  o’clock  in  the  evening,  we  espied  a 
small  house,  perched  on  the  summit  of  a 
rocky  part  of  a hill,  which  happily  proved  to 
be  the  place  we  were  in  search  of.  On  ap- 
proaching the  house,  some  dogs  rushed  out 
towards  us,  with  the  fury  of  tigers,  to  pre- 
vent our  advance.  They  could  not  be  paci- 
fied till  their  master  came  out,  and  com- 
manded silence.  He  said,  now  that  we  had 
been  once  received  on  his  place,  they  would 
trouble  us  no  more;  which  indeed  was  the 
case,  for  from  the  moment  we  were  welcomed 
by  their  master,  they  treated  us  as  friends. 

The  family  who  dwelt  in  this  solitary  cor- 
ner of  the  earth,  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oosthui- 
zen,  five  children,  and  two  slaves.  The  cattle, 
sheep,  and  goats  were  coming  home  for  the 
night,  which  greatly  enlivened  the  scene.  All 
the  ground  around  was  what  they  call  kar- 
roo, only  bushes  here  and  there,  without  a 
blade  of  grass  between,  nothing  but  gravel 
and  clay.  The  cattle,  therefore,  must  live 
entirely  upon  the  bushes,  if  all  the  ground  be 
in  the  same  state;  yet  they  appeared  fat  and 
healthy.  Noticing  several  large  shells  of  the 
land-tortoise  lying  about,  they  told  us  they 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  207 

were  plentiful  around,  and  that  they  some- 
times find  fifty  eggs  in  a single  tortoise.  The 
hill  on  which  the  house  stands  was  chiefly 
composed  of  slate  rocks,  intermixed  with  a 
little  soil,  from  which  bushes  of  various  kinds 
proceed.  At  the  foot  of  the  hill,  a small 
river,  called  Klip,  or  stone  river,  glides  gently 
along.  About  thirty  yards  along  its  side  is 
a strip  of  garden  ground,  where  lettuce  and 
a few  other  things  grow.  Immediately  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river,  rises  a hill  covered 
with  bushes.  A little  way  up  the  river  is  a 
narrow  pass  between  perpendicular  cliffs; 
and  in  the  distance  is  seen  a range  of  very 
elevated  mountains,  parallel  with  which  runs 
the  Elephant’s  River. 

The  two  eldest  daughters  were  about  thir- 
teen and  fourteen  years  of  age,  clever,  and 
great  helps  to  their  mother.  We  could  not 
help  regretting  the  impossibility  of  their  ob- 
taining education  in  such  a wilderness.  They 
kindly  and  quickly  made  up  a good  bed  for 
us  after  supper,  which  was  enjoyed  most 
gratefully,  after  the  fatigues  of  the  day. 

We  rose  next  morning  about  five  o’clock, 
had  an  early  breakfast,  after  which  Mr.  Oos- 
thuizen  kindly  lent  us  three  horses,  to  go  with 
him  to  view  the  ground  that  was  to  be  dis- 
posed of;  and  sent  forward  his  slave  with  our 
horses  to  halt  at  a part  of  the  road  where  we 
should  meet  them. 

At  seven  a.  m.  we  took  leave  of  the  family, 
descended  the  steep  to  the  river,  which  we 


208  pacaltsdorp  and  bethelsdorp. 

crossed.  He  told  us  that  sometimes  he  had 
caught  eels  in  it  as  thick  as  his  leg;  which 
proves  there  must  be  water  in  it  the  whole 
year,  either  running  or  in  pools,  like  some 
rivers  in  the  Wild  Bushman  country,  which 
are  invaluable  in  such  a dry  part  of  Africa 
as  the  karroo.  We  then  travelled  among 
bushes,  separated  a yard  or  two  from  each 
other.  In  the  intervening  ground  not  a weed 
or  a blade  of  grass  was  visible ; nothing  but 
red  earth,  and  hard,  as  if  it  had  been  pressed 
by  a ponderous  roller,  which  is  universally 
the  appearance  of  all  the  ground  there  denomi- 
nated karroo.  This  karroo  plain  is  of  great  ex- 
tent, reaching  perhaps  two  hundred  miles,  in  a 
n.  e.  direction;  and  it  is  known  to  be  five  or 
six  days’  journey  in  ox  wagons  across  it,  in 
a n.  w.  direction. 

Our  guide,  Mr.  Oosthuizen,  searched  for 
some  time  before  he  could  find  the  fountain, 
which  is  the  only  one  known  to  be  on  the 
cattle  farm  to  be  disposed  of.  When  I saw 
it,  I was  surprised  he  could  find  it  out  at  all, 
in  such  an  extent  of  ground,  all  alike  grown 
over  with  bushes;  for  it  was  not  larger  than 
a common  pot,  and  covered  with  two  flat 
stones.  It  hardly  contained  a gallon  of  water; 
but,  from  the  dampness  of  the  ground  around 
it,  Mr.  Oosthuizen  thought  much  more  water 
might  be  procured  by  digging  the  well  deeper, 
for  then  it  was  not  above  two  feet  deep,  and 
eighteen  inches  diameter.  Much  water  would 
not  be  requisite,  as  seldom  more  than  two 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  209 

families  would  reside  on  it,  and  the  cattle 
could  drink  at  either  of  the  rivers  which 
bound  the  ground.  This  well  being  about 
the  centre,  would  make  it  a convenient  place 
for  the  residence  of  the  herdsmen. 

The  ground  is  thought  to  contain  about  six 
thousand  acres.  We  found  in  some  places 
what  is  called  elephant’s  grass,  from  the 
height  and  strength  of  its  stalk;  it  does  not 
grow  thick,  but  only  in  separate  tufts.  There 
are  abundance  of  fine  stones,  sufficient  to 
build  a city. 

Much  rain  had  evidently  fallen  there  at 
the  time  we  had  so  much  at  Pacaltsdorp,  but 
from  the  hardness  of  the  ground,  probably 
most  of  it  had  run  off.  The  kind  of  bushes 
which  the  cattle  are  fond  of  are  very  plenti- 
ful on  the  place,  and  also  some  corn  land  near 
the  river.  Our  Hottentot,  whom  we  took  to 
assist  us  in  judging  of  it,  thought  it  would 
answer  our  design ; though  Mr.  Moffat  and 
I entertained  great  doubts  upon  that  point. 

At  nine  a.  m.  we  came  to  that  part  of  the 
road  where  our  horses  were  waiting  for  us; 
taking  leave  of  our  friendly  host,  we  pro- 
ceeded on  our  journey  home.  The  day  was 
fine,  and  the  road  in  general  smooth,  except 
at  three  places,  where  we  had  to  dismount 
and  lead  our  horses  over  the  rocks,  until  we 
came  to  the  foot  of  Cradock  Mountain;  hav- 
ing escaped  the  roughest  parts  by  viewing 
the  grounds. 

At  noon,  we  halted  at  C.’s  place,  where 


210  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

we  met  an  Englishman  from  Shropshire,  a 
carpenter,  who  had  been  employed  for  several 
years  by  the  farmers  in  the  Long  Kloof.  I 
saw  a wagon,  nearly  finished,  intended  for 
the  farmer’s  son,  who  was  on  the  eve  of 
marriage:  it  was  the  handsomest  I had  seen 
in  Africa;  both  the  wood  and  iron  work  had 
been  executed  by  a slave,  who  was  a re- 
markably skilful  man,  being  both  a good 
carpenter  and  a good  smith.  The  family  ac- 
commodated us  with  a dinner. 

At  two  p.  m.  we  reached  the  foot  of  Cra- 
doclc  Mountain.  We  passed  the  party  of 
Hottentots  who  were  busy  repairing  the  road 
damaged  by  the  late  rains  : their  conduct  was 
commended  to  us  by  the  overseer  of  the 
work.  When  near  the  top,  we  entered  a 
cloud,  and  continued  in  it  till  we  had  descend- 
ed for  about  twenty  minutes.  At  half-past 
four  o’clock,  we  reached  the  bottom,  com- 
pletely exhausted,  and  arrived  at  Pacaitsdorp 
at  six,  hungry  as  well  as  tired. 

The  people  told  me  that,  in  this  part  of  the 
colony,  it  is  considered  disgraceful  to  walk 
even  to  the  distance  of  a mile  or  two  on  foot; 
that  only  Hottentots  and  slaves  walk;  so  that 
if  a person  cannot  get  a horse,  he  considers 
it  a sufficient  reason  for  not  keeping  an  en- 
gagement, or  accepting  an  invitation.  It  is 
also  unfashionable  for  white  persons,  or 
Christian  people,  as  the  whites  are  called,  to 
carry  a child  beyond  the  threshold  of  the  door. 

Across  the  grounds  belonging  to  Pacalts- 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  211 

dorp  there  runs  from  the  Cradock  range  of 
mountain  a small  river,  which,  for  about  two 
miles  before  entering  the  Indian  Ocean,  has 
a hill  on  each  side,  completely  covered  with 
what  seemed  to  be  considered  impenetrable 
wood.  As  I could  not  hear  of  one  person 
who  had  ever  seen  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
Mr.  C.  consented  to  accompany  me  in  at- 
tempting to  explore  it.  We  took  with  us 
Jamager,  a Hottentot,  carrying  a musket,  lest 
we  should  happen  to  meet  with  wild  beasts, 
secreted  among  the  brushwood.  Such  was 
the  thickness  of  the  undergrowth,  that  we 
could  only  proceed  at  the  rate  of  about  half 
a mile  an  hour.  We  found  a very  interest- 
ing waterfall,  descending  between  two  cliffs, 
which  has  three  falls  immediately  succeeding 
each  other;  the  whole  may  measure  about 
fifty  feet.  We  heard  the  sound  of  it  while 
squeezing  ourselves  through  the  underwood, 
which  induced  us  to  move  in  the  direction  of 
the  sound.  We  had  to  cut  our  way  to  the 
waterfall.  As  there  was  no  path  to  it,  we 
fancied  we  were  the  first  human  beings  who 
had  seen  it;  and  I must  confess  that  this  sup- 
position made  me  vieAv  it  with  a kind  of  so- 
lemn interest.  I thought  of  its  having  made 
this  very  lovely  exhibition  for  perhaps  many 
centuries,  without  one  to  witness  it  who  could 
admire  its  beauty.  The  sides  were  lofty,  and 
a hanging  wood  in  front  of  it,  where  the 
river  immediately  after  its  fall  took  a turn  to 
the  left,  changed  the  glare  of  the  sun  into  a 


212  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

kind  of  twilight,  adding  to  the  interesting  ap- 
pearance of  the  scenery.  The  only  creature 
we  saw  near  the  fall,  was  a pretty  light  green 
serpent,  swimming  in  the  river.  Being  un- 
able to  proceed  further  down  the  river,  with- 
out pushing  through  the  wood  at  a new  place, 
and  sunset  approaching,  we  retraced  our 
steps  in  the  path  by  which  we  had  come  to  it. 

On  another  occasion,  we  went  to  explore 
the  mouth  of  the  river.  On  reaching  the 
cliff  which  bounds  the  ocean,  we  searched 
for  some  path  by  which  we  might  descend  to 
the  river;  at  length  we  found  one  that  was 
not  a perpendicular  cliff,  where,  by  pressing 
through  underwood,  and  cautiously  moving 
over  rocks,  we  descended  about  three  hundred 
feet,  when  we  came  to  the  river,  and  wit- 
nessed its  entrance  into  the  Indian  Ocean. 
At  the  moment  a tremendous  surf  perpetually 
dashed  against  rocks  which  lay  in  the  middle 
of  the  opening  by  which  it  entered,  and 
equally  so  against  the  cliffs  on  both  sides  of 
the  entrance,  making  such  a noise  that,  with- 
out bawling,  we  could  not  hear  the  sound  of 
each  other’s  voices.  To  look  towards  the 
raging  billows  filled  the  mind  with  solemn 
awe,  and  then  upwards  to  the  towering, 
rocky,  rugged  cliffs,  deepened  the  impression. 
The  thought  also  that  all  this  turmoil  had 
been  going  on  for  thousands  of  years,  night 
and  day,  made  me  view  it  with  increasing 
interest;  for  there  is  constantly  a high  surge 
at  the  margin  of  the  Indian  Ocean. 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  213 

On  our  first  reaching  the  river,  we  were 
startled  to  observe  on  the  sand  the  footmarks 
of  wild  beasts.  This  made  us  move  with 
caution  along  the  river.  On  ascending  the 
river  again,  our  dog  was  the  first  to  discover 
the  entrance  to  the  path  by  which  we  had 
descended  the  thicket,  by  his  bouncing  into 
it:  we  followed  his  example;  when,  after 
scrambling  up  about  half  an  hour,  we  clear- 
ed it. 

Finding  it  necessary,  on  various  accounts, 
to  return  to  the  Cape,  I left  Pacaltsdorp  on 
the  25t’n  of  October,  along  with  Mr.  Messer. 

Many  of  the  young  people  as  well  as  the 
old  came  to  take  leave;  among  the  rest  old 
Simeon,  who  expressed  his  earnest  wish  that 
Jesus  might  hold  up  his  hands  over  us  by 
the  way.  We  departed  at  five  p.  m.  and 
travelled  until  nine,  when  we  halted  at  the 
side  of  a river,  where  the  ford  is  strewed 
with  large  stones,  which  prevented  our  at- 
tempting to  cross  it  in  the  night. 

Next  day  we  reached  the  Brak  River  by 
ten  a.  m.,  but  the  tide  being  up,  it  was  too 
full  to  cross,  so  we  halted  till  the  tide  should 
retire.  At  one  p.  m.,  finding  the  river  had 
fallen  two  feet,  we  crossed  without  any  ac- 
cident, and,  on  crossing  two  branches  of  the 
Little  Brak  River,  we  halted  at  nine  in  the 
evening,  passing  some  pools  containing  in- 
numerable frogs,  emitting  a sound  resem- 
bling many  bagpipes.  Providence  has  given 
those  animals  in  Africa  amazing  powers  of 
19 


214  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

voice,  which  is  often  very  useful  to  travel- 
lers, thereby  intimating  to  them,  in  the  dark, 
where  water  may  be  had. 

October  27.  I was  awakened  early  in  the 
morning,  by  the  noise  of  torrents  of  rain 
pouring  down  upon  the  roof  and  dashing 
against  the  sides  of  the  wagon,  and  the  hea- 
vens seemed  to  indicate  a continuance  of  wet 
weather.  Our  position  was  not  a pleasant 
one  to  be  stopped  in ; for  neither  house  nor 
any  cultivation  was  visible  among  the  sur- 
rounding hills.  However,  our  fears  were 
soon  removed ; for  by  nine  a.  m.  the  clouds 
began  to  disperse,  so  that  by  eleven  we  were 
able  to  proceed  forward  to  a pool  of  water, 
at  which  we  halted,  where  we  found  a farmer, 
who,  the  day  before,  had  lost  his  two  fore  or 
leading  oxen,  when  crossing  the  Brak  River. 
His  impatience  prevented  his  waiting  till  the 
tide  retired,  which  led  him  to  attempt  get- 
ting over  a little  higher  up  the  river  than  the 
ordinary  ford;  this  cost  him  two  valuable 
oxen  that  he  could  ill  spare,  being  poor. 
He  was  carrying  timber  to  dispose  of  at  the 
Cape. 

October  2S.  We  got  safely  across  the  riv- 
er, which  at  the  ford  appeared  at  that  time  to 
be  deep,  and  about  one  hundred  yards  wide. 
We  halted  for  the  night  in  a solitary  valley. 
A Hottentot  boy,  about  twelve  years  of  age, 
who  led  the  oxen  of  one  of  the  wagons,  was 
fast  asleep  on  the  grass,  in  two  or  three 
minutes  after  we  halted.  I have  often  thought 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  215 

that  Hottentots  could  sleep  as  easily  as  dogs: 
they  seem  only  to  have  to  shut  their  eyes, 
and  they  are  fast  asleep.  The  soldiers  in  the 
Hottentot  regiment  were  said,  by  an  officer, 
often  to  have  been  found  asleep  while  on 
guard.  The  person  to  whom  the  officer 
stated  this,  remarked  that  he  understood  that, 
by  the  articles  of  war,  it  was  death  to  be 
found  sleeping.  “Yes,”  said  he;  but  were 
we  to  shoot  all  the  Hottentot  soldiers  we  find 
asleep  on  guard,  then  we  should  shoot  the 
whole  regiment;  and, after  that,  what  would 
be  the  use  of  officers  ?” 

In  the  morning,  I was  pleased  to  observe 
the  sea  at  the  end  of  the  valley,  about  two 
miles  distant.  I was  astonished  to  see  what 
appeared  to  be  an  island,  at  a little  distance 
from  the  shore,  when  I knew  that  no  island 
was  marked  on  the  map  off  this  part  of  the 
African  coast.  I inquired  of  a Hottentot,  if 
he  thought  what  we  saw  was  actually  an 
island  in  the  sea.  He  said  he  believed  it 
was  land.  Trusting  a good  deal  to  the  ex- 
cellent eyesight  of  Hottentots,  I repaired  to 
the  top  of  a low  hill  behind  the  wagons, 
with  my  paper  and  pencil,  to  take  a sketch 
of  this  island  and  the  co-ast  near  it.  On 
reaching  the  top  of  the  hill,  I found  there 
was  no  sea  there,  that  the  whole  was  an  illu- 
sion, and  what  I had  supposed  to  be  an 
island  was  only  a cloud  near  the  horizon. 
The  whole  mistake  appeared  to  have  arisen 
from  the  refraction  of  the  rays  of  light. 


216  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

However,  my  walk  on  that  hill  was  not 
entirely  without  some  result;  for  I picked  up 
twelve  or  fourteen  different  kinds  of  flowers, 
some  of  which  I had  not  seen  before,  and 
others  a variety  of  what  I had  formerly  seen. 

At  eight  p.  m.  we  arrived  at  the  side  of  the 
Duivenhok’s  River,  which  appeared  to  be 
considerably  swelled:  we  therefore  halted  to 
consult  whether  we  should  attempt  crossing 
it  in  the  dark.  On  hearing  that  a wagon, 
the  day  before,  had  lost  five  oxen  when 
crossing  it,  and  that  the  people  in  it  were 
saved  with  difficulty,  our  Hottentots  became 
alarmed,  and  expressed  great  doubts  of  the 
expediency  or  safety  of  attempting  it  in  the 
dark;  at  the  same  time  looking  towards  the 
opposite  side,  as  if  desirous  to  reach  it  that 
night.  Observing  their  hesitation,  I request- 
ed them  positively  to  tell  me  what  they 
thought.  On  this  one  of  them  said,  in  a 
decisive  tone  of  voice,  that  he  never  liked  to 
do  a thing  when  his  mind  at  one  time  said, 
Do  it;  and  at  another,  Do  not  do  it:  to  this 
the  rest  assented;  wherefore  we  unyoked 
the  oxen,  and  halted  for  the  night.  I found 
afterwards  that  the  opinion  of  a farmer,  who 
had  outspanned,  swayed  the  opinions  of  the 
Hottentots;  for  they  had  heard  him  say  it 
would  not  be  safe  to  cross,  and  the  opinion 
of  a white  man  is  always  viewed  by  them 
with  respect. 

About  ten  o’clock,  a farmer  coming  from 
the  westward  crossed  over  to  us,  with  his 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  217 

wagon,  from  the  other  side,  without  sustain- 
ing any  injury.  I marked  the  height  of  the 
water,  by  firmly  fixing  two  sticks  on  the 
edge  of  it,  to  ascertain  how  much  it  might 
fall  during  the  night.  I found  by  the  marks, 
in  the  morning,  that  during  the  night  the 
river  had  subsided  several  inches.  We 
crossed  at  six  a.  m.,  the  water  reaching  but 
a little  above  the  bellies  of  the  oxen.  We 
halted  at  ten,  among  some  low  trees  in  a 
beautiful  valley.  A farmer,  who  was  hasten- 
ing from  Zwellendam  to  meet  a brother,  to 
congratulate  him  on  his  safe  return  from  the 
commando  against  the  Caffres,  halted  and 
took  a cup  of  coffee  with  us.  He  admired 
the  convenience  of  our  tent,  and  was  very 
desirous  that  we  should  dispose  of  it  to  him. 
A genteel  looking  young  man,  almost  white, 
attended  him:  we  were  sorry  to  learn  he 
was  his  slave;  he  spoke  in  his  commenda- 
tion, and  said  he  took  him  with  him  in  all 
his  journeys. 

At  two  p.  m.,  we  commenced  our  last  stage 
to  Caledon  Institution.  At  four  o’clock  we 
left  the  Cape  road,  turning  to  the  right,  or 
north,  and  soon  entered  upon  the  grounds 
belonging  to  Caledon.  Halted  for  a little 
at  Redkuill,  where  part  of  the  cattle  are 
kept,  and  was  glad  to  see  so  many  fields 
cultivated  by  the  people,  more  it  seems  than 
they  had  ever  cultivated  there  before;  so 
that  our  exhortations  to  industry,  during  our 
last  visit,  had  not  been  lost  upon  them.  At 


218  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHEESDORP. 

seven  in  the  evening  we  arrived  safe  at  the 
settlement, thankful  for  our  preservation,  and 
that  we  were  half  way  to  the  Cape  from  Pa- 
caltsdorp;  and  what  increased  our  gratitude 
Avas  our  arriving  only  half  an  hour  before  it 
began  to  rain;  for  had  it  commenced  two  or 
three  hours  earlier,  our  progress  must  have 
been  stopped,  and  being  Saturday  night,  we 
must  have  spent  our  Sabbath  in  some  wilder- 
ness or  solitary  place. 

October  31.  Sabbath.  The  rain  having 
continued  during  the  night  to  fall  in  gentle 
showers,  and  the  late  rains  having  been 
plentiful,  the  stupendous  mountains  as  well 
as  the  valleys  Avere  clothed  in  lovely  and 
lively  green,  mixed  Avith  flowers  of  every 
form  and  colour,  which  rendered  the  Avhole 
scene  extremely  gratifying;  and  the  frag- 
rance proceeding  from  innumerable  floAvers 
added  greatly  to  the  enjoyment.  The  birds 
also,  Avith  their  golden,  or  silvery,  or  emerald 
plumages,  came  flying  about  us,  Avhich  added 
to  the  grandeur  of  the  display. 

Is  there  a man  Avho  could  witness  such 
magnificent  displays  of  the  Creator’s  glory, 
without  secretly  Avishing  that  God  might  be 
his  God,  and  his  portion  for  ever ! What  may 
not  the  real  Christian  expect  to  behold  and 
enjoy  in  a Avorld  without  sin,  to  which  he  is 
travelling,  from  the  God  Avho  has  provided 
so  much  for  the  happiness  of  a rebellious 
Avorld,  many  of  Avhom  look  at  bis  Avorks 
without  wonder,  and  enjoy  his  mercies  Avith- 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSBORP.  219 

out  gratitude;  yet  God  has  patience  with 
them.  The  wretched  heathen,  in  these  re- 
spects, are  comparatively  but  little  to  blame; 
but  the  man  who  possesses  the  records  of 
Heaven,  and  continues  to  behold  and  enjoy 
the  wonders  and  beneficence  of  the  Creator, 
with  the  eyes  and  feelings  of  a brute,  is  high- 
ly culpable.  But  the  greatest  wonder  of  all 
is  discerned  by  very  few,  namely,  God  con- 
descending to  manifest  himself  in  the  nature 
of  man,  not  only  to  become  a man,  but  also 
a Man  of  sorrows,  and  acquainted  with  grief, 
that  sinners  might  be  saved.  Great  indeed  is 
the  mystery  of  godliness! 

All  the  missionary  business  that  I had  to 
attend  to  being  finished  by  the  afternoon  of 
Monday,  we  were  able  to  depart  from  the 
settlement  at  five  p.  m.  We  reached  Zwel- 
lendam  about  ten  o’clock  at  night.  We  were 
obliged  to  wait  about  half  an  hour  at  the  toll 
bar  at  the  entrance  to  the  town,  because  the 
keeper  was  in  bed,  and  not  disposed  to  rise! 
He  actually  sent  a person  to  desire  us  to  halt 
till  daylight  next  morning,  when  he  would 
rise  and  let  us  through  the  gate.  We  sent 
back  word,  that  if  he  did  not  rise  and  let  us 
through  directly,  we  should  immediately 
complain  to  the  landdrost.  We  found  this 
touched  the  right  string;  for  the  gate  flew 
open,  and  we  were  admitted.  It  turned  out 
that  the  opening  of  the  gate  was  not  the 
cause  of  the  grumbling  of  the  toll  keeper, 
but  the  trouble  of  giving  the  change  which 


220  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

lie  supposed  would  be  needed.  Understand- 
ing who  we  were,  he  escaped  that  trouble; 
for  he  desired  us  to  send  it  to  him  in  the 
morning.  We  passed  along  the  street  to  the 
other  end  of  the  town  without  seeing  one 
person,  or  the  least  indication  of  any  person 
within  doors  being  awake. 

We  departed  in  the  cool  of  the  evening. 
Broad  River  being  full,  wagons  and  oxen, 
without  unyoking,  were  taken  over  on  a 
large  flat-bottomed  boat;  the  loose  oxen 
swam  over;  the  time  occupied  in  effecting 
the  transport  was  an  hour  and  a quarter. 

November  3.  About  six  p.  m.  it  began  to 
rain  a little,  and  gradually  to  increase  until 
eight,  when  it  poured  down  so  fast  as  to 
oblige  us  to  halt.  Finding  it  impossible  to 
kindle  a fire,  all  went  to  sleep  supperless, 
some  under  the  wagons  and  others  under 
bushes. 

November  4.  I was  sorry  to  find  several 
of  our  people  had  taken  cold,  from  the  wet 
during  the  night.  We  went  forward  at  five 
in  the  morning,  passed  four  farms,  and  halt- 
ed at  Mr.  Knobelanch’s,  where  we  break- 
fasted and  dined.  He  is  a German,  and  now 
that  the  wars  of  Europe  are  ended,  he  pur- 
poses to  return  to  his  own  country.  They 
were  cutting  down  barley  on  his  farm,  which 
was  the  first  grain  we  had  seen  cut  that  sea- 
son. November  at  the  Cape  answers  to  the 
month  of  May  in  Europe.  The  crops  in 
most  of  his  other  fields  were  nearly  ripe.  The 


pacaltsdorp  and  bethelsdorp.  221 

grapes  in  that  part  of  Africa  produce  a wine 
resembling  Rhenish.  Several  farmers  passed, 
returning  from  the  commando,  all  glad  to  get 
home.  I have  heard  of  nothing  particular 
which  they  have  effected,  except  the  capture 
of  a great  many  Caffre  cattle;  this  probably 
may  replace  the  cattle  stolen  from  the  colon- 
ists by  the  Caffres. 

November  5.  Left  our  halting  at  five  in 
the  morning,  in  the  expectation  of  reaching, 
during  the  day,  the  Moravian  Missionary 
Station  of  Gnadenthal. 

Departed  at  ten  a.  m.,  and  at  one  came 
again  to  Sonder-end  River,  but  found  the 
river  so  deep  that  it  was  impossible  for  the 
wagons  to  go  over,  and  the  bridge  for  foot 
passengers  was  in  ruins  by  the  late  floods.  I 
wrote  to  the  missionaries  at  Gnadenthal,  in- 
forming them  of  my  situation.  In  a short 
time  one  of  the  brethren  came  to  my  help, 
and  by  his  directions  we  got  safely  across,  by 
means  of  the  planks  of  the  old  bridge,  and 
were  kindly  received  by  all  the  brethren  at 
the  station,  and  with  great  pleasure  attended 
their  meeting  for  prayer  in  their  spacious 
church. 

November  7.  Attended  the  morning  prayer 
meeting  at  nine  o’clock,  when  there  was  a 
good  attendance  of  the  Hottentot  population, 
the  rain  not  descending  in  such  torrents. 
One  of  the  brethren  read  their  liturgy.  Be- 
ing the  Lord’s  day,  there  was  also  a meeting 
20 


222  pacaltsdorp  and  bethelsdorp. 

ing  in  the  forenoon,  when  Mr.  Messer  of  Pa- 
caltsdorp preached. 

The  mountains  which  surround  the  head 
of  the  valley  where  Gnadenthal  is  placed  are 
extremely  high,  and  must  bring  down  the 
clouds  with  their  treasures  when  any  are 
passing.  The  missionaries,  with  commend- 
able industry,  have  changed  that  once  soli- 
tary and  wilderness  place  into  fertile  fields 
and  gardens;  and  there,  I trust,  many  trees 
of  righteousness  are  growing,  and  bearing 
fruit  to  the  honour  and  glory  of  God.  The 
mission  houses  and  workshops  are  neat  and 
substantial  buildings;  and  some  of  the  houses 
of  Hottentots  are  such  as  many  of  the  pea- 
santry in  England  would  not  be  averse  to  in- 
habit. The  missionary  who  was  the  worthy 
and  venerable  father  of  that  mission  when  I 
formerly  visited  it,  I found  had  gone  to  his 
rest,  after  a long,  active,  and  laborious  life  in 
the  service  of  the  best  of  Masters,  Jesus 
Christ. 

November  8.  After  breakfast  I left  this 
little  paradise,  and  reached  the  wagons  by 
ten  a.  m.,  accompanied  by  one  of  the  bre- 
thren stationed  at  Gnadenthal,  and  another 
who  belongs  to  their  station  at  Groene  Kloof. 
They  showed  me  a stone  bridge,  which  they 
were  building  over  that  troublesome  river; 
one  pier  was  finished,  and  two  others  were  in 
progress,  but  were  not  then  visible,  owing  to 
the  great  swell  of  the  river.  I saw  many  of 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  223 

their  gardens  as  we  passed  along,  which  ap- 
peared well  cultivated;  they  had  also  much 
corn  sown,  which  was  likely  to  be  very  pro- 
ductive, from  the  plentiful  rains  which  had  fal- 
len; for  often  the  weather,  which  is  very  try- 
ing to  a traveller,  is  enriching  to  the  farmers. 

The  place  is  not  found  to  be  very  healthy, 
owing  to  the  village  being  built  on  so  low  a 
flat;  this  has  obliged  many  of  the  Hottentots 
to  remove  their  houses  to  the  higher  grounds 
on  the  sides  of  the  valley,  which  they  have 
found  to  be  much  healthier.  Most  of  the 
female  missionaries  have  complaints  arising 
from  the  dampness  of  the  situation,  but  it 
would  be  a serious  loss  were  they  obliged  to 
forsake  their  present  handsome  and  substan- 
tial edifices.  They  also  complain  of  having 
too  little  ground  for  supporting  so  numerous 
a family,  or  settlement.  Could  their  Euro- 
pean friends  supply  them  with  funds  to  pur- 
chase the  first  farm  in  the  neighbourhood 
that  happens  to  be  on  sale,  it  would  be  a 
valuable  acquisition.  It  cannot  reasonably 
be  expected  that  the  missionaries,  however 
industrious,  can  afford  to  make  such  a pur- 
chase from  the  fruits  of  their  own  exertions. 
To  help  them,  also,  to  finish  the  bridge  would 
be  a laudable  charity;  for  the  want  of  it  is 
often  found  to  be  a serious  evil  to  the  settle- 
ment. The  following  is  an  instance  of  this: 
a farmer  came  with  his  wagon,  to  engage 
some  of  the  Hottentots  to  work  on  his  farm; 
by  the  rise  of  the  river,  he  was  detained  the 


224  pacaltsdorp  and  bethelsdorp. 

whole  time  that  I was  there,  and  his  pre- 
sence being  much  wanted  at  home,  he  set  off 
at  the  time  I did,  on  horseback,  to  get  over 
the  mountains,  and  home  by  some  circuitous 
way.  The  money  expended  for  one  even- 
ing’s amusement  at  the  Theatre  could  more 
than  build  this  bridge. 

After  taking  leave  of  our  Moravian  bre- 
thren, we  proceeded  on  our  journey,  and 
were  soon  glad  to  find,  contrary  to  our  fears, 
that  the  roads  were  not  made  slippery  by  the 
late  rains,  but  the  slippery  substances  had 
been  washed  away,  and  gravel  left  behind. 
Should  the  road  be  slippery,  oxen  can  make 
no  progress  in  dragging  a wagon  up  hill. 

We  passed  the  end  of  Zwarteberg,  or 
Black  Mountain,  to  the  left,  which  is  of  con- 
siderable extent  and  singularly  barren;  little 
being  visible  upon  it  but  rocks  and  loose 
stones.  Notwithstanding  this,  the  ground 
in  its  vicinity  appeared  peculiarly  fertile  ; in- 
deed the  most  extensive  cultivation  on  one 
farm  which  I had  observed,  was  at  the  foot 
of  the  west  end  of  this  mountain,  which 
greatly  resembled  an  English  farm.  After 
halting  two  hours  at  some  water,  we  con- 
tinued our  journey  till  near  midnight. 

By  four  in  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day, 
we  halted  near  the  foot  of  Hottentot’s  Hol- 
land Mountain,  a little  after  crossing  a bridge 
over  the  Palmit  River,  the  piers  of  which 
are  composed  of  stone,  and  the  rest  of  tim- 
ber; the  floor  of  the  bridge  is  strewed  over 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  225 

with  the  palmit  plant,  to  preserve  it  from 
being  injured  by  the  wheels  of  wagons. 
Twelve  skillings,  or  three  shillings,  for  each 
wagon  were  demanded  by  the  toll  keeper; 
but,  on  finding  we  were  carrying  no  articles 
of  traffic  to  the  Cape,  he  reduced  his  demand 
to  one  half. 

Several  farmer’s  wagons  travelling  to  the 
Cape  came  up,  and  like  us,  outspanned  at  the 
bridge.  All  the  females  belonging  to  them 
seemed  afraid  to  breathe  the  morning  air, 
having  white  handkerchiefs  wrapped  tightly 
round  their  faces  from  the  bottom  of  the  chin 
to  the  top  of  the  nose,  their  eyes  and  a small 
portion  of  their  brows  being  all  that  was 
visible. 

At  five  p.  m.  left  Palmit  River,  and  soon 
began  the  ascent  of  Hottentot’s  Holland 
Mountain,  which  is  easy  on  that  side  com- 
pared to  that  which  looks  toward  the  Cape. 
On  reaching  the  summit,  Cape  Town,  Table 
Mountain,  and  Table  Bay,  with  the  ship- 
ping, burst  all  at  once  upon  our  view;  like- 
wise the  two  oceans,  on  the  two  sides  of  the 
peninsula  of  the  Cape,  namely,  the  Indian 
and  the  Ethiopic  (or  Southern  Atlantic) 
Ocean,  added  to  the  interest  we  took  in 
viewing  the  panorama;  indeed  there  are  few 
spots  in  the  world  from  which  two  oceans 
can  be  seen.  With  locked  wheels  we  safely 
descended  the  long  and  steep  front  of  the 
mountain.  At  nine  p.  m.  we  halted  about 


226  pacaltsdorp  and  bethelsdorp. 

two  miles  from  the  village  of  Hottentot’s 
Holland. 

November  10.  Being  desirous  to  reach 
Cape  Town  that  day,  we  left  our  encamp- 
ment at  five  in  the  morning,  all  in  good  spi- 
rits, being  able  to  see  the  end  of  our  journey ; 
for  Table  Mountain,  from  its  enormous  bulk, 
appeared  as  if  at  hand.  After  the  great 
rains,  when  we  were  at  Pacaltsdorp,  news 
came  that  the  church  at  Hottentot’s  Holland 
was  entirely  washed  down,  like  a new  built 
house  at  George;  but,  in  passing  it  this  morn- 
ing, we  were  glad  to  observe  that  only  one 
of  the  gables  had  been  destroyed.  There  be- 
ing no  coals  in  the  colony,  the  bricks  of  which 
the  houses  are  composed  cannot  be  said  to  be 
more  than  half  burnt,  for  after  the  kiln  or  pile 
of  new  made  bricks  is  raised,  they  can  only 
bury  it  with  withered  branches  of  trees  laid 
thickly  above  and  around  it,  to  which  they 
set  fire;  this  method  can  only  heat  them,  but 
not  burn  them  throughout  like  the  English 
bricks.  Wherefore,  when  the  rain  by  violent 
wind  is  dashed  against  the  building,  the  out- 
side plaster  of  lime  sometimes  gives  way,  and 
exposes  the  soft  bricks  to  its  influence,  which 
soon  dissolves  them;  and  should  the  rain 
continue,  the  whole  of  the  building  exposed 
to  it  must  moulder  away,  till  it  becomes  a 
hillock  of  mud.  At  such  times,  a few  inches 
only  of  outside  plaster  being  damaged,  will 
expose  a whole  building  to  destruction.  Halt- 
ed at  eight  a.  m. 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  227 

The  heat  of  the  day  being  considerable, 
(thermometer  7S,)  we  could  not  advance  till 
four  p.  m.  and  continued  moving  till  ten,  when 
we  outspanned  for  the  night,  about  eight 
miles  from  Cape  Town,  which  we  entered 
next  morning  about  half  past  ten  o’clock. 
Before  we  left  the  ground  where  we  had 
been  halting  during  the  night,  we  were  ex- 
tremely annoyed  by  the  attack  of  innumera- 
ble multitudes  of  small  flies,  in  appearance 
resembling  the  common  fly,  but  hardly  larger 
than  a large  pin  head;  however,  they  either 
bit  or  stung  severely,  attacking  the  eyes, 
mouth,  and  ears  incessantly.  We  were  in- 
formed, that  if  we  killed  any  of  them,  the 
smell  of  the  dead  ones  would  bring  many 
more,  as  if  to  revenge  the  death  of  the  slain: 
many  of  them  perished  by  their  own  heed- 
lessness, rushing  headlong  into  our  heated 
cups  of  coffee:  we  were  sometimes  obliged 
to  retreat  to  our  wagons,  to  enjoy  a momen- 
tary relief.  Were  these  little  creatures  as 
plentiful  throughout  the  colony  as  they  were 
opposite  to  the  end  of  Table  Mountain,  they 
would  soon  drive  all  Europeans  home  to 
their  various  countries.  While  enduring  their 
annoyance,  we  thought  of  the  plagues  of 
Egypt. 

One  evening,  while  at  the  Cape,  I picked 
up  a very  luminous  grub  worm,  which,  on 
taking  it  home,  gave  light  enough  for  me  to 
discover  the  hour  by  my  watch.  The  lumi- 
nous part  was  at  the  hinder  part  of  the  belly, 


22S  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

which  it  held  up,  and  turned  about  in  all  di- 
rections. It  seems  to  have  this  lantern  com- 
pletely under  its  control,  withdrawing  it  at 
pleasure. 

In  front  of  a farm  house,  a pole  eighteen 
or  twenty  feet  high  was  firmly  fixed  in  the 
ground.  To  this  pole  was  chained  a baboon, 
or  rather  to  an  iron  hoop  which  hung  loosely 
on  the  pole,  so  as  not  to  impede  the  animal’s 
ascending  and  descending;  there  was  a round 
piece  of  board  nailed  on  the  top  for  him  to 
sit  on.  He  carried  everything  he  could  catch 
hold  of  to  the  top,  before  he  examined  what 
it  was:  if  it  was  eatable,  there  he  sat  and  ate 
it  with  great  deliberation;  if  it  could  not  be 
eaten,  he  tore  it  to  pieces  and  threw  it  from 
him.  The  rapidity  with  which  he  ascended 
and  descended  appeared  very  wonderful:  I 
think  he  would  come  down,  take  up  any 
thing  from  the  ground,  and  reach  the  top  with 
it,  all  in  the  space  of  half  a minute.  The 
pole  had  holes  on  both  sides  of  it,  which  he 
took  hold  of  with  his  claws  in  mounting;  but 
slid  down  in  a moment.  Some  of  the  people 
tried,  by  shaking  the  pole,  to  force  him  from 
his  seat  on  the  top,  but  all  in  vain;  but  if 
Kleinfeld,  my  Hottentot  boy,  threw  any  thing 
against  the  pole,  he  descended  in  a twink- 
ling, and  pursued  him  as  far  as  his  chain 
would  permit,  as  if  he  would  not  bear  an  in- 
sult from  a Hottentot. 

Robin  Island  lies  at  the  entrance  of  Table 
Bay,  and  is  only  about  four  miles  in  circum- 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  229 

ference.  It  is  used  as  a kind  of  Botany  Bay 
to  the  colony  of  the  Cape.  Lynx,  the  noted 
Caffre  chief,  who  was  said  to  have  been  ac- 
quainted with  the  late  Dr.  Vanderkemp,  was 
a kind  of  state  prisoner  upon  the  island,  in 
consequence  of  the  part  he  had  taken  in  the 
Caffre  war.  I felt  desirous  to  visit  him,  and 
mentioned  it  to  Mr.  M.,  who  was  govern- 
ment surveyor,  and  frequently  visited  the 
island  on  government  business,  and  that  I 
should  be  glad  to  accompany  him  the  next 
time  he  went  thither. 

He  soon  after  sent  to  me,  at  seven  in  the 
morning,  intimating  that  he  had  a boat  ready 
to  depart  for  Robin  Island.  We  left  the 
beach  about  eight  o’clock;  there  being  little 
wind,  we  were  about  three  hours  in  reaching 
it.  The  surge  at  landing  was  considerable, 
however,  the  men  carried  us  so  expeditiously, 
after  one  wave  had  spent  its  force,  that  we 
reached  the  shore  before  the  return  of  the 
next.  Mr.  M.  having  finished  his  business 
with  the  commandant,  he  sent  the  serjeant 
with  us  to  visit  Lynx.  He  was  lodged  in  a 
small  house,  about  a mile  along  the  shore, 
which  was  covered  with  deep  sand. 

We  found  Lynx  a fine  figure,  of  a man, 
measuring  six  feet  two  inches  in  height;  and 
he  seemed  pleased  at  our  calling  upon  him. 
He  remembered  Dr.  Vanderkemp  being  in 
Caffraria,  and  pointed  to  the  upper  part  of 
his  head  as  being  bald,  meaning  that  Dr. 
Vanderkemp  was  so.  He  mentioned  that 


230  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

the  doctor  had  made  him  a present,  and  that 
he  had  given  him  a small  cow  in  return.  He 
also  knew  our  missionary,  Mr.  Williams,  and 
said  he  had  a child  so  high,  as  he  held  his 
hand  from  the  ground.  He  told  us  twice  that 
he  had  never  killed  an  Englishman;  which 
made  us  conjecture  that  he  was  fearful  lest 
the  government  should  put  him  to  death  for 
his  crimes. 

He  had  many  marks  of  old  cuts,  or  wounds, 
on  different  parts  of  his  body,  especially  be- 
hind his  shoulders.  On  inquiring  the  cause 
of  them,  he  said  they  were  done  by  his  mo- 
ther when  he  was  sick,  to  cure  him.  He  had 
a kind  of  tattooing,  the  form  of  a cross,  under 
his  breast,  evidently  executed  by  some  sharp 
instrument,  which  he  said  was  done  by  the 
women.  He  had  several  rings,  composed  of 
coarse  hair,  on  his  arms,  upon  which  he 
seemed  to  put  little  value ; but  he  directed  our 
attention  to  an  ivory  one,  as  one  he  highly 
valued.  He  took  it  from  his  arm  and  looked 
through  it  to  the  sun  for  a considerable  time. 
The  soldiers  of  the  72d  regiment,  who  guard- 
ed him,  told  us,  that  at  sunrise  and  sunset  he 
always  did  the  same,  and  held  a conversation 
in  Dutch  with  the  sun,  telling  it  that  he  was 
deprived  of  his  wives,  and  that  he  did  not 
know  what  had  become  of  his  cattle. 

Lately,  he  had  been  very  unruly  for  four 
days,  when  he  struck  all  who  came  near  him, 
which  obliged  them  to  bind  him  with  ropes, 
both  hands  and  feet,  the  marks  of  which  he 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  231 

still  carried.  During  two  of  those  days,  he 
ate  nothing.  On  finding  that  resistance  was 
useless,  he  has  been  very  quiet  ever  since. 
He  is  allowed  what  quantity  of  food  he 
chooses:  he  expresses  an  aversion  to  mutton, 
and  will  not  eat  it.  He  speaks  with  seeming 
irritation  against  Geika,  the  king  of  the  Caf- 
fres,  whose  goyernment  he  very  probably 
would  have  overturned,  but  for  the  support 
given  to  Geika  by  the  colonial  government. 

There  is  no  remarkable  indication  of  talent 
in  the  countenance  of  Lynx,  but  much  of 
the  knave  and  impostor  is  apparent;  perhaps 
we  supposed  this  from  previously  knowing 
that  these  were  prominent  traits  in  his  cha- 
racter. He  told  us  that  his  father  was  a Caf- 
fre,  but  not  his  mother;  yet  he  had  the  ad- 
dress and  cunning  to  raise  himself  almost  to 
the  head  of  the  Caffre  nation.  He  was  a 
state  prisoner,  much  on  the  same  grounds  on 
which  Bonaparte  was  detained  a prisoner  on 
the  island  of  St.  Helena. 

I made  Lynx  a present  of  a small  kaleido- 
scope, which  seemed  to  afford  him  much  en- 
tertainment; but  after  he  had  examined  it  a 
few  times,  he  expressed  a strong  desire  to 
see  what  was  in  the  inside  of  it.  I told  him 
it  was  not  designed  to  be  opened,  and  showed 
him  that  the  tin  case  was  soldered  on  purpose 
that  it  might  not  be  opened,  and  assured  him 
that  within  were  only  broken  pieces  of  glass 
of  different  colours,  which  made  the  figures 
he  saw.  The  soldiers  seemed  confident  that 


232  pacaltsdorp  and  bethelsdorp. 

he  never  would  be  satisfied  till  he  had  forced 
it  open.  I presented  him  also  with  a red 
worsted  nightcap ; but  he  could  not  conjec- 
ture the  use  of  it,  till  we  explained  that  it  was 
to  be  worn  on  the  head  in  the  night  time. 

He  is  allowed  to  walk  out,  but  in  his  ex- 
cursions he  must  have  a soldier  with  a loaded 
musket  to  attend  him.  This  appendage  he 
does  not  approve  of;  therefore,  like  Napo- 
leon, he  hardly  ever  leaves  his  house.  He  is 
not  confined  in  the  prison  with  the  convicts, 
but  in  a small  house  about  a mile  from  it. 
Were  he  along  with  them,  he  might  induce 
them  to  make  some  desperate  attempt  to  re- 
gain their  liberty.  The  soldiers  thought,  that 
by  his  sometimes  pretending  to  talk  to  the 
sun,  and  sometimes  to  the  ground,  he  wished 
to  make  them  believe  that  he  had  connexion 
with  superior  spirits. 

It  is  thought  that  Lynx  was  the  principal 
author  of  the  late  Caffre  war.  It  is  reported, 
that  government  intend  to  get  one  of  his 
wives,  from  Caffreland,  to  come  and  live 
with  him.  His  situation,  at  present,  must 
be  extremely  irksome,  yet  it  would  be  haz- 
ardous to  set  him  at  liberty,  as  he  would 
probably  return  to  Caffraria,  determined  to 
take  revenge  on  the  colony,  for  his  imprison- 
ment and  the  loss  of  his  cattle. 

No  island  in  the  world  can  be  more  bar- 
ren, dreary,  or  uninteresting  than  Robin 
Island:  St.  Helena  is  a perfect  paradise 
compared  to  it;  the  surface  is  covered  with 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  233 

nothing  but  sand,  heath,  and  stones.  It 
contains  the  commandant’s  house,  the  jail 
for  convicts,  Mr.  Murray’s  house  for  a whale 
fishery,  and  the  small  house  where  Lynx  is 
confined.  Slates,  and  sea  shells  for  making 
lime,  are  sent  from  it  to  Cape  Town. 

About  an  hour  after  leaving  the  island, 
Table  Mountain  assumed  its  angry  appear- 
ance; a white  cloud  in  the  form  of  a table 
cloth  began  to  collect  on  the  summit,  and, 
what  was  worse,  to  hang  down  the  front  of 
it.  A south-east  wind  began  to  blow,  which 
being  directly  against  our  making  the  shore, 
excited  our  fears  lest  we  should  either  be 
blown  back  to  Robin  Island,  or,  missing  it, 
be  blown  out  to  sea,  when  we  knew  there 
was  no  other  land  nearer  than  South  Ameri- 
ca, which  was  three  thousand  miles  off.  The 
wind  blowing  in  opposition  to  a swell  from 
the  ocean,  caused  such  a confusion  of  waves, 
that  our  little  bark  could  with  difficulty  get 
forward  at  a very  slow  rate.  As  it  frequently 
happens,  at  the  commencement  of  those  gales, 
that  the  wind  comes  in  gusts  or  strong  puffs; 
so  it  was  at  this  time,  and  we  found  them 
very  troublesome,  and  were  in  danger  of  be- 
ing capsized.  However,  after  three  hours’ 
rowing,  with  all  the  strength  the  sailors 
could  apply  to  the  oars,  we  happily  reached 
the  shore,  about  four  o’clock  in  the  after- 
noon; after  which  the  wind  continued  to 
increase,  till  it  blew  a strong  gale. 

For  some  days  I felt  uneasy  from  a pain 


234  pacaltsdorp  and  bethelsdorp. 

in  my  neck,  without  paying  any  attention  to 
it.  At  length,  as  it  became  so  uneasy  that  I 
could  not  turn  my  head  without  much  pain, 
I examined  it  before  a looking  glass,  and  dis- 
covered that  it  proceeded  from  what  is  called 
a bush-louse,  which  clung  to  the  part;  a black 
creature,  about  an  inch  in  circumference,  and 
so  flat,  that  drawing  the  finger  over  it  when 
on  the  skin,  no  rise  above  the  level  of  the 
skin  is  perceptible.  A slave  rubbed  some 
sweet  oil  over  the  animal,  which,  though  it 
seemed  to  cause  uneasiness,  did  not  dispose 
it  to  give  up  its  hold.  Mrs.  Breda  advised 
me  not  to  force  it  off,  lest  its  head  should  be 
left  in  the  skin.  Cornelius,  my  Hottentot 
wagon  driver,  happening  to  come  in,  en- 
gaged to  act  the  doctor  upon  this  occasion. 
He  took  some  tobacco  oil  from  his  pipe, 
which  he  applied  to  the  animal;  this  it  evi- 
dently disliked,  for  it  began  soon  to  raise 
itself  up.  But  the  Hottentot  being  rather 
hasty  in  operating,  pulled  off  the  whole  ani- 
mal except  his  head,  which  caused  consider- 
able inflammation  and  pain  for  several  days. 

I left  Cape  Town  on  a journey  into  the 
interior,  January  18th,  which  lasted  about 
ten  months;  having  returned  to  Cape  Town, 
November  10th  of  the  same  year;  during 
which  journey  I visited  the  countries  of  the 
Wild  Bushmen,  Corannas,  Griquas,  Match- 
appees,  Tammahas,  Mashows,  Marootzees, 
and  Matslaroos. 

November  18.  The  mission  house,  during 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORF.  235 

the  whole  week,  was  filled  with  visiters  from 
morning  to  evening,  viewing  the  articles  I 
had  brought  from  the  interior,  especially  the 
head  of  the  rhinoceros.  Amongst  them  were 
the  governor,  colonial  secretary,  president  of 
the  court  of  justice,  the  president  of  the  burg- 
her senate,  many  East  India  gentlemen,  offi- 
cers of  the  army  and  navy,  and  many  ladies; 
indeed  most  of  the  principal  persons  in  town 
and  neighbourhood.  All  were  of  opinion, 
that  no  animal  was  likely  to  be  found  that 
would  better  answer  the  fancied  description 
of  the  unicorn,  than  the  animal  from  whose 
carcass  this  head  was  taken.  After  several 
minute  examinations  by  an  eminent  natural- 
ist, he  pronounced  his  opinion  to  be,  that  it 
is  the  unicorn  of  the  Scriptures.* 

When  dining  one  evening  at  H.  E — ’s, 
Esq.,  with  several  officers  of  the  army  and 
their  ladies,  the  dinner  being  removed,  and 
the  table  covered  with  decanters,  wine  glass- 
es, fruit  plates,  and  with  many  wax  candles, 
whose  brilliant  lights  were  so  reflected  by 
long  mirrors  reaching  from  the  ceiling  to 
the  floor,  as  almost  to  change  the  night  into 
day,  one  of  the  company  asked  me  what 
Muliaily,  the  man  I had  brought  from  Lat- 
takoo,  would  think  of  all  this  finery  were 

* The  unicorn  of  Scripture  must  have  been  an  Egyp- 
tian or  Arabian  animal.  South  Africa  and  its  indigenous 
animals  were  then  and  till  lately  unknown.  The  unicorn 
of  Scripture  was  an  antelope,  (Ant.  Oryx,)  often  sculptured 
on  Egyptian  monuments. — Edit. 


236  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

he  present.  I could  not  say,  but  suggested, 
as  he  was  not  far  off,  he  might  be  tried. 

The  man-servant  went,  and  soon  brought 
him.  The  night  being  dark,  was  not  a good 
preparation  for  entering  such  a glare  of  light. 
On  the  room  door  being  opened  for  his  ad- 
mittance, he  immediately  placed  both  his 
hands  on  his  eyes,  taking  them  off  several 
times  and  putting  them  on  before  he  moved 
a step  in  advance.  At  length,  being  able  to 
view  what  was  before  him,  he  looked  with 
astonishment.  The  first  thing  that  attracted 
his  notice,  was  an  ornament  of  several  rows 
of  pearl  beads,  hanging  round  the  neck  and 
resting  on  the  bosom  of  an  elegantly  dressed 
lady,  to  reach  whom  he  had  to  go  round  the 
end  of  the  table;  on  approaching  her,  he 
raised  up  the  lower  part  of  the  beads  from 
her  bosom  with  his  black  hands,  saying  with 
a smile  to  the  lady,  in  Dutch,  “ These  are 
very  beautiful!”  Whether  he  expected  the 
lady  then  to  give  them  to  him,  was  uncertain, 
but  unquestionably  he  coveted  them.  As 
soon  as  he  could  take  his  eyes  from  the 
beads,  he  observed  the  branch  candlesticks; 
being  a tall  man,  he  could  examine  them 
over  the  heads  of  the  ladies  and  gentlemen. 
While  doing  so,  the  long  mirrors  diverted  his 
attention,  in  which  he  beheld  a whole  length 
likeness  of  himself,  at  which  he  desired  me 
to  look,  while  he  gently  tapped  his  nose  with 
his  fore-finger,  and  heartily  laughed  at  the 
figure  in  the  glass  imitating  him  in  all  his 


PACALTSDOKP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  237 

actions.  On  taking  a glass  of  wine  that  was 
given  to  him,  he  looked  at  me,  saying, 
“ Mynhere,”  (sir,)  and  drank  it  off.  He  only 
remarked  it  was  sweet.  He  then  pranced 
with  perfect  ease  round  the  table,  when  he 
appeared  satisfied  with  what  he  had  seen, 
and  was  allowed  to  go  home  to  relate  the 
wonders  he  had  beheld.  From  the  unem- 
barrassed, independent  manner  in  which  Mu- 
liaily  acted  the  whole  time  he  was  in  the 
room,  Mr.  E.  remarked  that  he  must  have 
lived  in  a free  country,  or  under  a free  go  - 
vernment; which  was  certainly  the  case. 

On  the  27th  of  November,  the  wind  blew 
with  such  violence  in  Cape  Town,  that  it 
was  almost  impossible,  in  the  evening,  to 
walk  along  the  streets;  yet  two  wretched 
men,  in  a state  of  intoxication,  made  a wager 
that  they  would  swim  from  the  end  of  the 
jetty,  or  pier,  to  some  place  on  the  shore. 
Stormy  as  the  night  was,  they  went  to  the 
end  of  the  jetty,  stripped,  and  plunged  into 
the  boisterous  deep;  and,  as  might  have  been 
expected,  were  seen  no  more,  both  being 
drowned. 

December  5.  I left  Cape  Town  for  my 
retirement  about  three  miles  from  it,  accom- 
panied by  Muliaily  and  two  lads,  who  also 
were  natives  of  Lattakoo,  and  came  with  a 
wagon  that  left  us  at  Graaf  Reynet,  on  our 
way  from  Lattakoo  to  the  Cape,  having  to 
go  round  by  Bethelsdorp.  They  were  car- 
rying a few  articles  for  me.  Each  of  them 
21 


238  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

had  learned  a little  Dutch,  as  we  travelled  to 
the  Cape.  When  viewing  Cape  Town  from 
an  eminence  on  the  road,  Muliaily  asked  me 
if  the  Marootzee  town  I had  seen  (meaning 
Kurreechain,  three  hundred  miles  beyond 
Lattakoo,  and  which  he  had  not  seen,)  was 
as  large  as  Cape  Town.  I told  him  it  stood 
on  more  ground,  but  did  not  contain  so  many 
people.  They  were  greatly  astonished  at 
seeing  a ship  get  under  way,  seeing  it  gra- 
dually spreading  out  its  sails,  and  then  ob- 
serving its  progress.  They  looked  at  such 
things  as  we  might  suppose  persons  would 
do  who  had  only  that  day  fallen  down  from 
the  moon.  Each  of  them  told  me  how  tall 
he  was  the  first  time  I visited  Lattakoo,  hold- 
ing up  their  hands  at  different  distances  from 
the  ground.  On  taking  them  to  the  side  of 
the  ocean,  they  laughed  incessantly  at  the 
dashing  of  the  bulky  waves,  and  the  angry 
noise  they  made.  When  the  wave  was  re- 
tiring, they  boldly  pursued  it;  but  when  a 
fresh  wave  returned,  they  fled  with  great 
precipitation. 

December  10.  Dr.  Philip  and  I set  off  at 
six  a.  m.,  on  a visit  to  Simons  Town,  which 
lies  about  twenty  miles  to  the  south  of  Cape 
Town.  Captain  Vernon,  who  commanded 
a sloop,  or  brig  of  war,  which  was  at  that 
time  anchored  off  Simons  Town,  wishing  to 
see  how  the  Matchappees  from  Lattakoo, 
would  be  affected  by  seeing  a war  ship,  re- 
quested us  to  bring  them  with  us  when  we 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  239 

came  to  Simons  Town;  we  sent  them  for- 
ward the  evening  before.  Messrs.  U.  and  F., 
from  India,  accompanied  us.  The  road  was 
good.  We  went  round  a great  part  of  Table 
Mountain,  and  had  a range  of  hill  on  the 
right,  running  out  from  behind  it,  passing 
Newlands,  Rondebosh,  Wineberg,  and  Con- 
stantia  ; also  a considerable  fresh  water  lake 
on  our  left;  after  which  the  road  runs  along 
the  margin  of  the  sea  to  Simons  Town,  which 
we  reached  at  half  past  nine  in  the  morning, 
and  found  our  Lattakoo  friends  had  arrived 
before  us. 

Soon  after  our  arrival,  we  went  on  board 
the  Blossom.  Three  boats  were  waiting  at 
the  jetty,  to  take  the  company  on  board  to 
breakfast.  Our  friends  were  surprised  to  see 
the  boldness  with  which  the  three  Matchap- 
pees  stepped  into  the  boat,  as  it  was  the  first 
time  they  had  ever  been  on  the  water.  I 
thought  it  arose  from  their  having  travelled 
with  me  about  two  months,  and  having  never 
discovered  any  thing  wrong  in  what  I had 
asked  them  to  do.  As  I had  gone  first  into 
the  boat,  and  desired  them  to  come  also, 
they  trusted  to  me  that  there  was  no  danger. 

On  reaching  the  ship,  they  were  astonished 
at  every  thing  they  saw,  especially  the  depth 
of  the  hold,  which  they  discovered  was  much 
deeper  than  the  surface  of  the  water  by  which 
the  ship  was  surrounded  outside  the  vessel. 
The  height  of  the  mast  also  attracted  their 
notice.  One  of  the  cannons  was  fired  off  at 


240  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

their  side,  which  did  not  seem  to  excite  either 
surprise  or  fear.  The  captain  ordered  them 
a good  breakfast,  and,  with  the  other  officers, 
made  them  various  presents,  and  they  re- 
turned to  the  shore  highly  pleased  with  what 
they  had  seen.  They  afterwards  visited  Sir 
J.  Brenton,  the  commissioner,  and  were  de- 
lighted at  hearing  some  times  played  by  Miss 
Brenton  on  the  piano  forte,  often  imitating  its 
sounds  with  their  own  voices.  They  were 
also  much  amused  with  the  paintings  which 
surrounded  them  in  the  room,  and  seemed  to 
prefer  those  that  had  ships.  After  they  had 
enjoyed  a comfortable  dinner,  and  received 
some  presents  from  the  commissioner,  suited 
to  their  tastes,  they  returned  to  the  Cape, 
highly  pleased  with  the  treatment  they  had 
received  at  Simons  Town. 

Dr.  Philip  and  I dined  with  the  commis- 
sioner in  the  evening,  where  we  remained 
during  the  night,  and  next  morning  returned 
to  Cape  Town.  The  weather  was  most  plea- 
sant the  whole  way  till  we  turned  the  cor- 
ner, or  east  end,  of  Table  Mountain,  when 
we  found  that,  in  front  of  the  mountain,  there 
was  a gale  of  wind,  so  powerful  that  we 
sometimes  found  it  required  considerable  ex- 
ertion to  keep  our  seats  on  the  horses.  Cape 
Town  was  enveloped  in  clouds  of  sand. 

December  15.  Muliaily,  and  his  country- 
man Barootz,  a lad  about  eighteen  years  of 
age,  brought  something  for  me  from  town. 
Barootz  asked  me,  if,  after  I went  back  to 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  241 

England,  I should  ever  come  to  Lattakoo 
again.  1 said  it  was  not  likely  I should  ever 
see  Lattakoo  again.  I then  asked  him  if  he 
should  like  to  go  with  me  to  England.  He 
said,  No,  it  was  too  far.  He  then  pointed  to 
holes  in  his  leathern  trowsers,  and  requested 
a new  pair.  I pointed  to  pieces  of  his  lea- 
thern cloak,  which  could  be  spared  from  it, 
and  desired,  him  to  cut  them  off,  and  sew  up 
the  holes  with  them,  then  all  would  be  right. 
They  were  both  highly  diverted  with  the 
suggestion,  though  I perceived  they  did  not 
intend  to  do  it. 

December  25.  Being  Christmas  day,  some 
friends  dined  at  Mr.  Breda’s;  one  of  them, 
Mr.  G.  captain  of  a London  trader,  came  with 
hat  off  and  vest  open,  from  the  oppressive 
heat;  the  thermometer,  in  the  shade,  being 
90.  When  ascending  the  steps  outside  the 
house,  he  was  calling  out,  “ Oh ! that  our 
friends  in  England  had  the  half  of  our  heat, 
in  exchange  for  the  half  of  their  cold!” 

About  a hundred  and  fifty  slaves,  belong- 
ing to  Mr.  B — and  some  of  his  friends,  kept 
a holiday  near  me,  which  is  allowed  them  at 
this  season  of  the  year.  They  had  six  or  eight 
dozen  of  Cape  wine,  with  bread  and  meat  in 
great  abundance,  and  various  other  articles 
of  food.  All  were  as  well  dressed  as  ser- 
vants in  England  when  in  their  best  attire, 
and  all  appeared  cheerful. 

I found  that  three  ships  had  been  driven 
on  shore,  a little  to  the  eastward,  during  the 


242  FACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

storm  of  Tuesday  and  Wednesday;  and  that 
a fine  spirited  youth  son  of  Mr.  R.,  had  lost 
his  life  in  his  zeal  to  save  the  lives  of  others. 
He  left  Cape  Town  by  sunrise  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  storm,  on  horseback,  to  give  all  the 
assistance  in  his  power  to  the  people  in  the 
ships.  He  was  successful  in  catching  a rope 
that  was  thrown  from  one  of  the  vessels,  and 
bringing  it  in  triumph  to  the  shore,  which 
formed  a communication  between  the  ship 
and  the  shore,  by  means  of  which  those  on 
.board  were  saved.  This  success  so  elevated 
and  encouraged  him,  that  he  galloped  off  to- 
wards another  stranded  ship,  to  assist  the 
people  on  board  of  her  in  the  same  manner. 
Some  persons,  who  observed  his  efforts, 
called  out  to  him  that  he  would  have  to  cross 
the  mouths  of  the  Salt  River,  which  were 
very  dangerous;  but  this  did  not  deter  him: 
he  heedlessly  rushed  forward,  and,  in  about 
a minute,  his  horse  plunged  into  the  deep 
bed  of  the  Salt  River,  the  steep  sides  of 
which  were  not  then  visible,  the  swell  of  the 
sea  completely  concealing  them:  he  imme- 
diately lost  his  seat  on  the  horse,  and  was 
carried  out  to  sea  by  the  current  and  his 
body  was  not  found  till  next  day. 

A Danish  captain,  on  his  intended  last 
voyage  before  retiring  from  the  toils  of  life 
with  a competency,  came  with  his  ship  into 
the  bay  the  evening  before  the  storm.  His 
ship  was  one  of  the  vessels  driven  on  shore, 
and  on  the  worst  part  of  the  whole  bay, 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  243 

namely,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Salt  River, 
where  all  is  quicksand;  the  vessel,  soon  after 
touching  ground,  sunk  almost  out  of  sight. 
In  consequence  of  this  loss,  he  is  said  to  be 
reduced  to  utter  poverty,  and  so  must  begin 
his  toils  afresh  when  he  considered  them  al- 
most  ended.  The  cargoes  of  the  other  two 
vessels  were  saved.  Most  people  who  heard 
of  the  case  of  the  Danish  captain  pitied  him, 
his  wealth  having  taken  wings  and  flown 
away;  but  I heard  of  no  contributions  made 
to  assist  the  poor  man. 

. A Hottentot  whom  Dr.  Philip  had  engaged 
to  go  with  two  ships  of  war,  but  on  a peace- 
ful expedition,  to  Agra  Boquena  Bay,  in 
Great  Namaqualand,  to  commence  a trade 
there  with  the  natives,  in  order  to  supply  St. 
Helena  with  cattle,  was  reported  to  be  taken 
up  and  carried  to  prison  by  the  dienaars, 
(police,)  who  constantly  patrole  the  streets. 
We  called  at  the  deputy  fiscal’s  on  the  busi- 
ness, who  sent  for  the  sheriff,  who  said  he 
had  been  taken  up  for  playing  at  a game  like 
dice,  on  the  street,  which  was  prohibited,  in 
consequence  of  its  causing  so  many  disputes 
and  fightings  among  the  slaves.  The  game, 
from  what  I heard,  must  have  been  pitch- 
and-toss,  with  penny  pieces.  Orders,  how- 
ever, were  given  for  his  release. 

Lately,  a vessel  having  completed  its  cargo 
of  timber  at  Neisnar,  in  the  district  of  George, 
for  the  Cape,  was  ready  to  sail,  when  a gen- 
tleman took  his  passage  in  her,  and  put  on 


214  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

board  his  trunks;  after  which  he  brought 
his  horse,  in  expectation  of  getting  it  on 
board  along  with  the  captain’s,  but  he  found 
there  was  not  room.  Not  being  willing  to 
lose  his  horse  by  leaving  it  behind,  he  re- 
solved to  ride  on  it  himself  to  the  Cape.  He 
took  leave  of  the  captain,  expecting  to  meet 
him  again  in  a few  days  at  Cape  Town. 
But  the  vessel  capsized,  probably  that  very 
night,  when  all  on  board  perished.  The 
vessel  soon  after  was  driven  ashore  with  the 
bottom  uppermost.  The  rejection  of  the 
horse  saved  the  gentleman  from  a watery 
grave. 

February  12.  Attended  the  governor’s 
levee,  which  gave  me  an  opportunity  of  see- 
ing Anza,  Prince  of  Joanna,  with  his  suite, 
Abdalla,  Bakkar,  and  another,  all  richly 
dressed,  who  were  attending  the  levee.  They 
had  not  to  wait  their  turn  for  admission  to 
the  governor,  but  were  introduced  soon  after 
their  arrival. 

When  Dr.  Philip  and  I were  admitted  to 
the  governor,  I mentioned  my  having  come 
to  take  leave  previous  to  embarking  for 
England,  on  Thursday.  His  excellency  in- 
formed us  that  the  prince  of  Joanna  and  his 
suite  were  to  dine  along  with  them.  He 
also  expressed  a wish  that  Dr.  Philip  would 
take  charge  of  the  prince’s  education  while 
he  remained  at  Cape  Town.  The  prince 
and  his  attendants  could  speak  English,  but 
the  governor  wished  he  should  be  taught 


PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP.  245 

it  grammatically,  and  also  to  write.  The 
governor  said  that  the  prince  had  been 
wrecked,  and  robbed  by  pirates,  when  on  a 
pilgrimage  to  Mecca,  being  a Mohammedan; 
but  he  hoped  Dr.  Philip  would  teach  him 
the  way  to  Jerusalem.  His  excellency,  with 
much  frankness,  consented  to  my  journal 
being  dedicated  to  him,  on  its  publication  in 
England. 

He  told  us  of  a communication  he  had  re- 
ceived from  Governor  Farquhar,  of  the  Mau- 
ritius, or  Isle  of  France,  stating,  that  the 
whole  island  of  Madagascar  was  now  under 
one  king,  with  whom  he  had  entered  into  a 
treaty,  in  which  the  king  had  engaged  en- 
tirely to  abolish  the  slave  trade  over  all  his 
dominions.  To  reimburse  the  king  for  the 
loss  he  should  sustain  by  its  abolition,  the 
governor  had  consented  to  pay  him  a thou- 
sand gold  dollars,  and  a thousand  silver  ones, 
some  articles  of  dress,  and  other  commodi- 
ties. 

The  captain  and  passengers  of  the  Castle 
Forbes  visited  the  mission  house,  to  view 
the  curiosities  from  the  interior  of  the  coun- 
try, before  they  were  packed  to  be  sent  on 
board. 

February  13.  Wednesday.  Went  out  to 
the  governor’s  at  Newlands  to  dinner,  at 
seven  o’clock.  A large  party  was  there  to 
meet  the  prince  of  Joanna,  several  of  whom 
I had  the  pleasure  to  know.  One  of  the 
prince’s  attendants  was  known  to  the  Eng- 
22 


246  PACALTSDORP  AND  BETHELSDORP. 

lish  who  touched  at  Joanna,  by  the  name  of 
Lord  Nelson;  but  he  said  it  was  a play 
name,  not  his  real  name.  They  could  all 
speak  English,  having  become  familiar  with 
it  by  ships  from  India  often  touching  at  their 
island.  They  were  very  friendly  to  the  Eng- 
lish. 

After  they  had  been  shipwrecked,  in  con- 
sequence of  being  driven  on  shore  by  an 
Arabian  pirate  from  the  Persian  Gulf,  they 
were  picked  up  by  an  English  ship,  and  car- 
ried to  Penang,  from  whence  they  were 
brought  to  the  Cape  in  another  English  ves- 
sel; judging  that  it  was  likely  to  find  a ves- 
sel there  that  would  land  them  on  Joanna. 
They  intended  to  remain  for  some  time,  in 
order  to  obtain  education. 

They  wore  elegant  scarlet  Turkish  dresses, 
ornamented  with  silks  and  gold  lace;  and 
all  of  them  wore  elegant  turbans,  which  they 
kept  on  during  dinner;  indeed  they  never 
were  uncovered.  They  behaved  politely, 
drank  no  wine,  and  ate  nothing  but  simple 
things,  chiefly  rice  and  custards. 


247 


PART  V. 


VOYAGE  FROM  THE  CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE  TO 
ENGLAND. 

After  various  journeys,  during  a residence 
of  two  years  in  South  Africa,  the  hour  of 
departure  at  length  came,  which  was  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1821.  Having  bid  adieu,  proba- 
bly for  ever,  to  many  kind  friends,  I went  on 
board  the  Castle  Forbes,  Captain  Reid,  last 
from  Bombay,  which  vessel  touched  at  the 
Cape  in  order  to  put  ashore  some  passengers, 
and  recruit  the  stock  of  provisions  and  wa- 
ter. I took  on  board  with  me,  Paul,  a Hot- 
tentot youth  about  eleven  years  of  age,  son 
of  Dikkop,  late  chief  of  Hooge  Kraal,  that 
he  might  receive  an  education  in  England. 
We  sailed  out  of  Table  Bay  at  two  p.  m., 
soon  losing  sight  of  Cape  Town,  but  not  of 
Table  Mountain,  till  the  darkness  of  night 
concealed  it  from  our  view. 

Feb.  IS.  Sabbath.  I preached  on  the 
quarter  deck.  Passengers,  children,  servants, 
and  sailors  formed  a good  congregation ; and, 
what  was  peculiarly  gratifying  to  observe 
on  board  a ship  returning  from  India,  both 


248 


VOYAGE  FROM  THE 


passengers  and  sailors  possessed  copies  of  the 
Scriptures,  which  they  brought  with  them  to 
worship. 

February  28.  Not  only  our  reckoning 
and  observations,  but  also  appearances  all 
day  have  indicated  our  approach  to  St.  He- 
lena. Clouds  have  increased,  which  are 
attracted  by  the  island;  towards  midnight 
the  greater  part  of  the  heavens  were  covered 
by  them. 

March  1.  Mr.  R , the  first  officer, 

awoke  me  at  two  o’clock  in  the  morning, 
that  I might  see  St.  Helena  by  starlight. 
Though  I had  travelled  over  it  before,  yet  I 
viewed  it  with  fresh  interest,  from  its  being 
the  residence  of  Bonaparte,  who  once  made 
the  world  to  tremble,  but  was  now  confined, 
perhaps,  on  the  most  retired  island  in  the 
world,  the  furthest  removed  from  all  other 
residences  of  human  beings.  Who  could 
have  conjectured,  a few  years  ago,  that  the 
man  who  had  all  the  European  nations  at  his 
feet,  except  Great  Britain,  should  have  been 
confined  on  a little  African  island?  That  man 
advanced  rapidly  from  step  to  step,  till  he 
readied  the  highest  pinnacle  of  human  glory; 
but  his  fall  was  still  more  rapid  than  his  rise. 
Thus  passes  away  the  glory  of  the  world! 
Posthumous  fame  seemed  to  be  a ruling  prin- 
ciple of  poor  Napoleon.  What  can  it  avail 
him  now,  when  his  body  is  gone  to  the  re- 
gions of  the  dead,  and  his  spirit  to  the  judg- 
ment of  God,  and  the  world  of  spirits?  He 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE  TO  ENGLAND.  249 

has  now  other  topics  and  scenes  to  engross 
his  attention,  than  to  muse  upon  what  vain 
men  in  yonder  miserable  world  are  thinking 
or  saying  of  him.  His  kingdoms  are  taken 
from  him,  his  high  sounding  titles  are  all  ex- 
tinct, his  patronage,  pomp,  and  splendour  are 
all  passed  away,  like  the  morning  cloud,  or 
the  lightnings  and  thunderings  of  a night. 
Look  with  the  mind’s  eye  on  his  silent  tomb 
and  say,  “Is  this  the  man  that  made  the 
earth  to  tremble?  Truly  his  breath  was  in 
his  nostrils,  but  now  it  is  gone,  and  there  he 
must  lie  till  the  heavens  and  the  earth  be  no 
more!  My  soul,  glory  thou  only  in  the  Lord, 
for  all  flesh  is  as  grass,  and  all  the  glory  of 
man  as  the  flower  of  grass,  which  perhaps  is 
a little  taller,  looks  more  gaudy,  and  attracts 
more  attention  than  the  grass;  but  the  mower 
finds  no  difference,  both  fall  by  the  same 
stroke,  and  both  wither  away  together:  but 
the  word  of  the  Lord,  contained  in  the  gos- 
pel, endureth  for  ever.  Wherefore  let  us 
prefer  the  gospel  to  all  earthly  glory.”* 

At  seven  a.  m.  we  were  within  a few  ca- 
bles’ length  from  the  east  end  of  the  island, 
when  the  Blossom  brig  of  war  sent  an  officer 
on  board  our  ship,  to  learn  what  we  were, 
and  the  names  of  all  on  board,  to  whom  I 
delivered  letters  from  the  governor  of  the 
Cape  and  the  naval  commissioner,  for  the  ad- 
miral. The  officer  said  they  should  imme- 

* These  thoughts  were  added  after  hearing  of  the  death 
of  Bonaparte. 


250 


VOYAGE  FROM  THE 


diately  be  sent  ashore  with  the  account  he 
had  written  down  of  the  ship.  The  Blossom 
sailed  with  us  till  opposite  James  Town,  from 
whence  a signal  was  soon  made  that  we  had 
liberty  to  cast  anchor.  The  captain  of  the 
Blossom,  whom  I had  the  pleasure  of  know- 
ing at  the  Cape,  on  seeing  my  name  in  the 
list  of  passengers  in  the  Castle  Forbes,  kindly 
paid  me  a visit  on  board  our  ship;  and  I re- 
ceived a letter  from  the  admiral,  inviting  me 
ashore  to  breakfast  next  morning,  and  ex- 
pressing a desire  to  see  any  of  the  curiosities 
I had  brought  from  the  interior  of  Africa, 
which  I could  conveniently  bring  on  shore. 
Our  captain  and  all  the  passengers  visited 
the  Vigo,  of  seventy-four  guns,  which  was 
the  admiral’s  ship,  and  was  in  fine  order,  and 
an  interesting  sight. 

March  2.  A boat  from  the  Vigo  came  and 
took  me  to  James  Town  at  half  past  eight  in 
the  morning,  and  another  at  nine  to  carry 
the  curiosities  on  shore.  After  breakfast  the 
boxes  were  opened.  The  skull  and  horn 
of  a rhinoceros,  which  we  had  shot  about 
twelve  hundred  miles  up  from  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  excited  most  curiosity.  Several 
St.  Helena  gentlemen  and  ladies  were  invited 
to  view  them,  who  all  seemed  highly  grati- 
fied. I stood  about  three  hours  explaining 
the  different  articles.  I gave  a specimen  of 
blue  asbestos  stone  to  the  admiral,  and  also 
left  one  for  Sir  Hudson  Lowe,  and  another  for 
Bonaparte  addressed  to  General  Montholon. 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE  TO  ENGLAND.  251 

I had  tiffin  with  the  admiral’s  secretary 
and  surgeon,  both  of  whom  felt  an  interest 
in  the  progress  of  missions  to  the  heathen ; 
after  which  I went  with  the  surgeon  to  the 
company’s  garden,  where  a tree  was  pointed 
out  to  me  which  had  been  planted  by  that 
celebrated  navigator,  Captain  Cook.  I visit- 
ed also  some  Chinese  carpenters  who  were 
at  work.  Their  master  said  that  they  made 
very  good  work,  but  were  slow,  and  took 
their  own  way  in  doing  every  thing. 

A box  of  books  had  arrived  for  Bona- 
parte, from  London,  and  being  opened  by 
one  of  the  servants  opposite  the  window 
where  the  clergyman  was,  Napoleon  and 
Bertrand  came  to  inspect  them.  Bonaparte 
took  them  out,  and  selected  such  as  he  wished 
to  peruse,  throwing  off  the  paper  in  which 
each  volume  was  wrapped,  till  he  was  stand- 
ing above  the  knees  in  loose  paper.  Mon- 
tholon  said  to  the  clergyman  that  he  might 
draw  up  the  blinds,  which  would  enable  him 
to  see  the  emperor  better.  Though  Bona- 
parte stood  within  three  yards  of  him,  and 
the  window  quite  open  for  half  an  hour,  he 
took  not  the  smallest  notice  of  him;  though, 
probably,  he  opened  the  box  at  that  time 
chiefly  to  gratify  the  visiter  with  a sight  of 
himself,  which  he  must  have  known  every 
one  was  anxious  to  obtain. 

I walked  about  the  town  for  some  time 
with  Mr.  M.,  a pious  midshipman  of  the 
Vigo,  who  mentioned  that  he  had  received 


252 


VOYAGE  FROM  THE 


that  morning  a letter  from  a young  man  who 
resided  on  another  part  of  the  island,  and 
who  but  very  lately  had  been  converted  to 
the  faith  and  hope  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ.  In  that  letter,  he  said  that  he  was 
almost  overwhelmed  with  the  thought  of  his 
inability  to  praise  Christ  for  the  greatness 
and  freeness  of  his  love  to  him. 

There  were  four  prayer  meetings  held 
every  week  in  James  Town,  chiefly  com- 
posed of  naval  and  military  officers,  and  sol- 
diers. One  of  the  meetings  was  held  in  a 
sergeant’s  house,  the  other  three  were  in  the 
houses  of  officers.  He  thought  all  was  the 
result  of  the  long  continued  exertions  of 
Lieutenant  A.,  whom  I sought  for,  but  could 
not  find  him  before  I was  obliged  to  go  on 
board  our  ship,  which  was  to  sail  at  sunset. 
Soon  after  getting  on  board,  I received  a let- 
ter from  Lieutenant  A.,  whom  I had  known 
during  my  former  visit  to  St.  Helena,  regret- 
ting that  lie  could  not  visit  me,  owing  to  the 
officer  being  absent  who  signed  permissions 
to  visit  ships;  nor  could  I go  ashore  without 
risking  my  passage,  as  we  were  preparing  to 
sail. 

At  sunset,  a flag  was  hoisted  on  the  heights, 
as  a signal  to  the  admiral,  that  Bonaparte 
had  been  seen;  immediately  afterwards  a 
signal  was  made  to  us,  that  we  had  permis- 
sion to  depart. 

It  was  quite  dark  before  we  got  under 
weigh.  The  lights  of  the  town,  and  the  ships 


CAPE  OP  GOOD  HOPE  TO  ENGLAND.  253 

in  the  roads,  were  distinguishable  for  two 
hours  from  our  deck,  when  we  gradually  lost 
sight  both  of  them  and  of  the  island,  to  be 
seen  by  most  of  us  no  more,  for  ever. 

March  S.  We  passed  the  Island  of  Ascen- 
sion, but  not  within  sight  of  it. 

March  9.  The  boatswain  struck  a harpoon 
into  a porpoise,  which  measured  eight  feet 
in  length,  and  four  feet  in  circumference  at 
the  breast.  He  struck  it  into  a second,  but 
the  rope  breaking  while  pulling  it  up,  poor 
thing!  it  escaped  with  the  harpoon  sticking 
into  it.  We  saw  it  frequently  rising  above 
water,  and  the  blood  flowing  copiously  from 
the  wound.  All  the  other  porpoises  left  the 
ship,  and  kept  swimming  around  their  wound- 
ed companion,  waiting,  it  was  supposed,  till 
it  should  die,  that  they  might  devour  it.  On 
cutting  up  the  porpoise  just  caught,  we  found 
about  a dozen  fishes  in  its  stomach,  several 
of  them  eighteen  and  twenty  inches  long.  I 
ate  of  its  flesh,  which  was  darker  coloured 
than  beef,  and  also  of  its  liver,  both  of  which 
tasted  tolerably  well. 

March  16.  Crossed  the  equinoctial  line  at 
ten  a.  m.,  at  longitude  19  deg.  w.;  the  same 
day  seven  years  in  which  I had  crossed  it  on 
my  former  return  from  Southern  Africa.  The 
ship  having  had  convicts  on  board  for  Botany 
Bayand  Van  Dieman’s  Land  in  the  going  out, 
the  captain  would  not  permit  the  sailors  to  per- 
form the  usual  ceremony  of  shaving,  on  those 
who  had  not  crossed  the  line,  but  promised  to 


254 


VOYAGE  FROM  THE 


allow  it  on  their  return;  on  which  account, 
about  ten  sailors  who  had  not  crossed  the  line 
before  this  voyage,  went  through  the  cere- 
mony. All  the  passengers  were  exempted, 
(indeed  all  had  crossed  before,)  excepting 
five  servants  who  were  natives  of  India, 
and  some  children  who  were  born  there. 

March  17.  At  midnight  the  moon  was 
vertical,  or  immediately  above  our  heads. 

March  21.  The  sun  crossed  the  equator. 
At  noon  we  were  in  latitude  5 deg.  20  min. 
and  caught  the  n.  e.  trade  winds. 

March  25.  Sabbath.  At  seven  in  the 
morning  we  saw  a lugger  following  us;  at 
nine  she  had  gained  considerably  upon  us, 
and  was  seen  to  be  full  of  men.  At  ten  a.  m. 
we  began  our  worship  on  deck,  as  usual,  at 
the  conclusion  of  which  she  had  got  within  a 
quarter  of  a mile  of  us,  when  she  showed 
North  American  colours;  but  we  had  no 
doubt  that  she  was  a South  American  insur- 
gent privateer.  In  a short  time  she  hailed, 
and  informed  us  she  was  from  the  River  de 
la  Plata,  and  had  been  out  on  a cruize  for 
four  months.  After  answering  their  questions, 
the  captain  inquired  if  they  had  any  news 
from  Europe.  They  said  the  queen  of  Eng- 
land was  acquitted.  Some  time  afterwards, 
they  said  they  would  send  us  some  English 
newspapers.  We  said  we  should  like  to  have 
them,  and  hove  to.  Their  first  officer  and 
four  men  came  in  a boat,  bringing  seven  or 
eight  papers  of  November,  IS20.  I asked 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE  TO  ENGLAND.  255 

the  officer,  who  spoke  good  English,  being 
probably  a North  American,  if  he  would  ac- 
cept of  a small  handsomely  printed  New 
Testament,  of  the  Naval  and  Military  Bible 
Society,  which' die  very  politely  received  and 
put  into  his  pocket.  I regretted  I had  no 
tracts  to  give  him.  They  had  been  cruizing 
off  Cadiz,  the  Canary,  Western,  and  Cape 
de  Verd  Islands,  and  had  captured  twelve 
Spanish  and  Portuguese  vessels.  They  said 
that  probably,  by  that  time,  their  republic 
had  been  acknowledged  by  Great  Britain 
and  the  North  American  States.  Most  of  us 
expected  they  would  have  demanded  our 
live  stock,  and  very  probably  other  articles; 
but  the  officer  acted  very  handsomely,  and 
wishing  us  good  day,  returned  to  his  ship, 
when  they  made  sail  towards  the  south; 
which  was  a very  agreeable  sight  to  us  all, 
because  for  some  time  we  suspected  they 
were  pirates. 

The  grandeur  of  the  sea,  from  sunset  to 
midnight,  far  surpassed  any  thing  of  the  kind 
I had  previously  seen.  The  heavens  being 
covered  with  clouds,  and  no  moon  till  mid- 
night, rendered  it  very  dark  above  us:  yet  so 
luminous  was  the  whole  surface  of  the  water, 
that  the  light  which  it  produced  was  nearly 
equal  to  full  moonlight.  The  wind  blew 
what  the  sailors  call  fresh,  or  strong,  and  the 
sea  ran  high,  owing  to  a heavy  swell  along 
with  the  wind.  By  the  dashing  of  the  ship 
through  the  waves,  as  if  impatient  to  get 


256 


VOYAGE  FROM  THE 


home,  white  foam  or  spray  was  spread  over 
the  water  all  round  her,  and  so  luminous  that 
the  shadows  of  ropes,  blocks,  and  yards  were 
distinctly  seen  upon  the  sails.  The  captain 
advised  me  to  go  forward  and  look  over  the 
bows,  or  fore  part  of  the  ship,  where  she 
drives  the  water  before  her.  The  sight  richly 
compensated  for  the  trouble  of  getting  to  it. 
A blaze,  as  if  of  furious  flame,  appeared 
bursting  forth  from  under  her.  Every  parti- 
cle composing  these  apparent  flames  partook 
of  a brightness  even  whiter  than  the  gas 
flame,  resembling  snow  when  the  meridian 
sun  shines  down  upon  it  in  icy  regions.  Be- 
hind the  ship,  to  the  distance  of  five  or  six 
hundred  yards,  the  sea  was  thickly  spread 
over  with  the  same  luminous  brightness,  and 
long  innumerable  streaks  of  it  were  strewed 
over  the  surface  of  the  ocean  in  every  direc- 
tion to  the  edge  of  the  horizon. 

The  whole  scene  appeared  to  me  so  grand 
a display  of  the  Creator’s  power,  that  I found 
it  extremely  difficult  to  tear  myself  away 
from  witnessing  the  sight,  even  after  viewing 
it  for  hours.  After  leaving  it,  once  and 
again,  I could  not  but  return  to  take  another 
and  another  look,  uncertain  if  ever  I should 
witness  the  ocean  in  that  state  any  more. 
Where  the  sea  was  most  agitated,  the  glory 
of  the  appearance  was  greatest;  indeed,  the 
sailors  had  sufficient  light  for  every  purpose 
they  required.  Although  it  was  now  the 
fourth  time  I had  sailed  between  England 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE  TO  ENGLAND.  257 

and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  all  former  ap- 
pearances of  this  nature  which  I had  seen, 
were  but  partial,  compared  to  the  magnifi- 
cent splendour  of  the  ocean  on  this  occasion. 

March  26.  Very  different  was  the  even- 
ing of  this  day  compared  to  the  former;  true, 
it  had  all  the  darkness  in  the  heavens,  with 
a strong  wind  and  heavy  swell,  but  none  of 
that  luminous  appearance  over  the  surface 
of  the  water  which  afforded  such  high  grati- 
fication to  the  beholder;  so  that  it  must  pro- 
ceed from  something  else  than  the  presence 
of  darkness,  strong  wind,  and  agitation  of 
the  sea:  perhaps,  in  addition  to  these,  the 
abounding  of  a blubber  substance  of  a fishy 
nature  is  necessary  for  its  production,  or  pro- 
bably large  numbers  of  luminous  animaculae. 

April  1.  The  gale,  which  had  continued 
five  days,  we  found  had  abated  during  the 
night.  We  fell  in  with  the  Gulf  of  Florida 
weed  floating  in  the  water,  which  is  never 
seen  further  south  than  this  latitude,  namely, 
21  deg.  n. 

April  2.  At  one  o’clock  we  crossed  the 
tropic  of  cancer,  leaving  behind  us  the  whole 
of  the  torrid  zone,  which  we  had  entered  on 
the  22d  of  February. 

April  3.  On  hooking  up  some  of  the  gulf 
weed,  we  found  small  crabs  and  shrimps  at- 
tached to  it.  Putting  them  into  a basin,  the 
crabs  attacked  and  killed  the  shrimps.  The 
destruction  of  life  goes  on  every  where,  whe- 
ther on  sea  or  land. 


258 


VOYAGE  FROM  THE 


April  4.  Such  was  the  amazing  increase 
of  the  weed  to-day,  that  the  whole  surface 
of  the  ocean  resembled  a beautiful  yellow 
field,  which  pleased  the  eye  b)'  removing 
the  sameness  of  the  scene.  Ever  since  we 
crossed  the  equator  we  have  been  obliged, 
by  the  wind,  to  sail  to  the  westward  of  north; 
so  that  we  are  now  56  degrees  of  longitude 
to  the  westward  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
and  39  degrees  west  of  the  longitude  of  Lon- 
don. 

April  7.  Flying  fishes  continue  to  be 
seen,  though  several  hundred  miles  north  of 
the  tropic. 

April  11.  The  gulf  weed  disappeared 
yesterday.  At  three  p.  m.  we  passed  a very 
large  mast  floating  on  the  water;  no  doubt 
it  was  the  mast  of  some  ship,  which  had 
either  perished  or  had  been  dismasted  in  a 
heavy  gale. 

April  12.  Great  part  of  the  water  through 
which  we  sailed  in  the  morning  was  of  a 
light  brown  colour,  as  if  there  had  been  a 
sand  bank  under  us;  which  we  supposed  to 
be  caused  by  the  spawn  of  fishes,  as  there 
was  no  sand  bank  in  that  part. 

At  noon,  our  latitude  was  35  deg.  18  min. 
n.,  longitude  36  deg.  26  min.  w.  Thus,  in 
point  of  latitude,  we  had  passed  the  whole 
coast  of  Africa,  and  come  opposite  to  the 
coast  of  Spain,  but  far  to  the  westward  of  it, 
being  nearly  half  way  to  Newfoundland. 

For  eight  weeks  have  we  been  sailing, 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE  TO  ENGLAND.  259 

night  and  day,  opposite  to  the  coast  of  Africa, 
from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  the  north 
end  of  Morocco,  which  impresses  the  mind 
with  the  vast  extent  of  that  continent,  and 
the  multitude  of  nations,  or  tribes,  which 
must  dwell  in  it,  almost  all  of  whom  are  en- 
veloped in  the  grossest  ignorance:  the  very 
names  of  most  of  these  nations  are  unknown 
to  Europeans.  What  a field  for  the  exertion 
of  Christian  philanthropy!  Many  years  must 
revolve,  and  millions  must  perish,  before  the 
least  assistance  can  reach  many  of  those  na- 
tions. 

It  afforded  us  much  pleasure,  at  noon, 
when  it  was  announced  that  we  were  within 
seventeen  hundred  miles  of  our  port. 

April  15.  A great  African  woman,  who 
had  the  care  of  a child  from  Bombay,  being 
reproved  for  something,  her  temper  rose  and 
raged;  she  spoke  insulting  and  outrageous 
language  to  the  gentleman  who  had  the 
superintendence  of  the  child;  after  which 
she  mounted  the  side  railing  of  the  ship,  and 
went  down  outside,  in  order  to  jump  into 
the  sea,  but  was  caught  hold  of  by  two  sailors 
who  happened  to  be  near,  and  dragged  back 
into  the  ship.  She  then  spoke  in  the  coarsest 
manner,  threatening  what  she  would  do 
when  she  got  to  England.  These  people 
pick  up  such  ideas  of  English  liberty,  that 
not  a word  can  be  borne  by  them  after  get- 
ting on  board  of  ship;  however,  this,  upon 
the  whole,  probably  does  more  good  than 


260 


'VOYAGE  FROM  THE 


evil,  in  preventing  oppression  from  the  tyran- 
nical. 

April  1 6.  The  African  woman,  who  threat- 
ened to  drown  herself  yesterday,  asked  par- 
don for  her  rude  behaviour  to-day,  when  the 
child  was  again  restored  to  her  care.  She 
had  been  very  quiet  from  the  time  her  pas- 
sion was  assuaged. 

April  17.  At  one  o’clock  in  the  morning, 
being  full  moon,  the  two  most  northerly  of 
the  Western  Islands  were  distinctly  seen  at 
a few  miles  distance,  Flores  and  Corvo.  We 
passed  very  near  the  latter,  but  a cloud  cling- 
ing to  it,  concealed  the  summits  of  its  moun- 
tains from  our  view.  About  a hundred  and 
fifty  human  beings  are  said  to  dwell  on  it, 
all  of  whom  were  probably  asleep  while  we 
passed.  As  we  were  running  eight  miles 
an  hour  at  that  time,  no  part  of  it  was  to  be 
seen  when  daylight  appeared.  From  their 
position  on  the  globe,  these  islands  must  en- 
joy one  of  the  finest  climates  in  the  world. 
Great  part  of  the  oranges  consumed  in  Eng- 
land are  brought  from  them. 

April  18.  The  wind  blew  hard  all  day, 
which  increased  to  a gale  of  wind  towards 
evening:  but  this,  happily,  being  fair,  drove 
us  ten  miles  an  hour  towards  England. 

We  were  too  far  to  the  north  to  see  any 
other  of  the  Western  Islands.  These  islands, 
in  their  position,  are  almost  at  an  equal 
distance  from  Europe,  Africa,  and  America: 
to  which  of  these  three  quarters  of  the  world 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE  TO  ENGLAND.  261 

they  belong,  I believe  is  not  yet  settled.  It 
is  said  they  were  first  discovered  by  a Dutch 
captain,  who  came  in  sight  of  them  acci- 
dentally; and  that  in  going  home  he  touched 
at  Lisbon,  where  he  made  no  secret  of  his 
discovery,  but  told  it  as  a piece  of  news  in 
every  company.  On  hearing  of  it,  the  Por- 
tuguese immediately  despatched  a vessel  to 
take  possession  of  them  in  the  name  of  the 
king  of  Portugal,  in  whose  possession  they 
have  remained  ever  since.  They  are  sup- 
posed to  contain  ninety  thousand  inhabitants. 

April  19.  I was  awakened  about  midnight 
by  the  increased  rolling  of  the  ship,  and  went 
on  deck  about  one  in  the  morning.  The  sea 
ran  in  huge  masses,  rendered  peculiarly  strik- 
ing by  a partial  light  from  the  moon  through 
thick  watery  clouds.  The  storm  increased  as 
day  approached,  till  it  became  what  might 
be  called  tremendous.  My  cabin  floor  was 
soon  covered  with  water,  and  part  of  the 
bed  soaked  with  it,  the  water  forcing  its  way 
through  the  seams  between  the  planks  of  the 
vessel.  The  storm  continued  during  the  day, 
and  in  the  evening  its  severity  increased. 

April  20.  The  storm  continued  during  the 
day,  at  times  blowing  in  furious  squalls,  ac- 
companied with  hail,  and  sometimes  sleet. 
In  the  evening, furious  squalls  began  to  attack 
us  every  ten  minutes;  the  heavens  were  pe- 
culiarly gloomy,  and  only  the  frothy,  angry 
tops  of  waves  were  visible  around  the  ship. 

Finding  my  cabin  in  such  a state  with  wa- 
23 


262 


VOYAGE  FROM  THE 


ter,  that  it  seemed  hazardous  to  sleep  in  it,  I 
got  my  mattress  and  bed  clothes  removed  to 
the  floor  of  the  cuddy,  or  room  built  on  the 
quarter  deck,  where  the  passengers  dine.  In 
a corner  of  it  I placed  my  mattress,  and  slept 
soundly  till  midnight,  when  a severe  squall 
awoke  me.  In  a few  minutes,  a huge  wave 
dashing  against  the  stern  part,  those  on  deck 
said,  a large  portion  of  it  rose  as  high  as  the 
mizzen  mast  yard,  or  about  twenty-five  feet 
from  the  deck,  which  fell  down  with  great 
force,  and  rushing  by  the  door  into  the  cuddy, 
ran  like  a little  river  alongside  of  my  bed, 
which  I beheld  by  the  light  of  the  lamp.  I 
thoughtlessly  looked  at  it  as  a novel  sight, 
while  it  ran,  by  the  motion  of  the  ship,  three 
times  past  the  side  of  my  bed;  instead  of  in- 
stantly moving  the  mattress  from  the  floor  to 
the  table.  By  this  delay,  every  thing  was  so 
drenched  with  water,  that.  I was  obliged  to 
spend  the  rest  of  the  night  in  an  elbow  chair. 
From  three  to  four  o’clock  in  the  morning,  we 
were  struck  with  the  uncommon  fury  of  the 
storm:  indeed,  I have  seldom  witnessed  a 
more  tremendous  storm ; but  God  preserved 
our  bark,  though  part  of  the  bulwarks,  or 
close  railing  round  the  deck,  was  dashed  in. 

April  21.  The  storm  continued  the  whole 
day.  From  the  morning  we  lay  to,  as  it  is 
called,  which  is  the  last  resource  for  preser- 
vation. 

April  22.  The  storm  continues  equally 
violent,  the  heavens  more  gloomy,  the  air 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE  TO  ENGLAND.  263 

very  cold,  and  the  wind  driving  us  back 
towards  the  south.  The  wet  made  an  Indian 
centipede,  of  about  five  inches  long,  leave  its 
refuge  and  crawl  over  my  cabin  floor.  We 
preserved  it  in  spirits,  and  it  is  now  in  the 
London  Missionary  Museum. 

April  23.  During  the  night,  the  wind  was 
somewhat  moderated;  but  about  eight  in  the 
morning,  it  seemed  to  rally  all  its  force,  and 
to  rush  forth  with  great  fury,  making  all  on 
deck  to  reel  to  and  fro;  but  towards  evening 
it  seemed  to  have  exhausted  its  main  strength. 

April  24.  During  breakfast,  the  officer 
who  commanded  on  deck,  called  to  the  cap- 
tain at  table,  that  it  looked  ivild  to  wind- 
ward; on  which  the  captain  went  out  to  view 
it.  Soon,  they  put  the  sails  into  the  best  po- 
sition the  art  of  seamanship  could  effect,  to 
meet  a still  more  violent  attack  from  the 
raging  elements.  The  ship  was  hardly  put 
into  the  state  they  wished  her,  before  the 
winds  came  upon  the  ship  with  double  fury. 

April  25.  During  the  night,  the  fury  of 
the  wind  abated,  and  it  being  the  time  of  the 
moon’s  entering  her  last  quarter,  we  hoped 
for  a favourable  change,  but  were  disap- 
pointed. During  the  day,  the  heavens  re- 
tained their  wild  appearance,  nor  was  it  a 
mere  threat;  for  no  sooner  had  the  sun  re- 
tired, than  the  winds  attacked  us  with  their 
former  violence. 

Being  able  to  take  observations  at  noon, 


264 


VOYAGE  FROM  THE 


vve  were  glad  to  find  that  our  seven  days’ 
storm  had  only  driven  us  back  about  a hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles.  Our  Indian  cow,  which 
had  supplied  us  with  milk  during  the  voyage, 
died  to-day,  in  spite  of  all  the  means  used 
for  her  preservation.  Some  goats  and  sheep 
also  died.  The  coldness  of  the  wind,  and  the 
dashing  of  the  spray  from  the  waves  upon 
them,  must  have  hastened  their  death. 

April  27.  The  wind  yesterday  and  part 
of  to-day  was  more  favourable,  so  that  we 
consider  ourselves  three  or  four  hundred 
miles  to  the  westward  of  Cape  Finisterre,  at 
which  the  Bay  of  Biscay  commences. 

April  30.  Beating  about  the  whole  day; 
the  wind,  as  usual  of  late,  being  directly 
against  us.  Next  week  is  the  week  when 
the  annual  meetings  of  the  Missionary  Society 
take  place.  The  captain  and  others,  having 
assured  me  it  was  impossible  to  reach  Lon- 
don by  that  time,  I have  said,  “ The  will  of 
the  Lord  be  done,”  and  find  my  mind  at 
complete  rest  upon  that  matter;  persuaded 
that,  were  any  valuable  purpose  to  be  an- 
swered by  my  being  at  those  meetings,  the 
Lord  of  the  sea  could  easily  command  his 
winds  to  effect  it,  and  they  would  readily 
obey  him. 

May  1.  Great  expectations  of  a change  of 
wind  were  expressed  from  the  change  of 
moon,  that  was  to  take  place  to-day.  How- 
ever, the  wind  continued  still  adverse,  and 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE  TO  ENGLAND.  265 

some  were  saying  how  many  guineas  they 
would  give  to  be  put  ashore  in  twenty-four 
hours;  for  the  same  wind  was  expected  to 
blow  for  seven  days  more,  till  another  change 
of  the  moon.  Part  of  the  wreck  of  a vessel 
was  seen  about  sunset,  which  probably  hap- 
pened during  the  late  violent  and  protracted 
storm.  At  nine  o’clock  at  night,  the  wind 
altered  about  a point  in  our  favour. 

May  2.  Many  whales  amused  us  during 
the  day,  by  playing  around  us;  sometimes 
spouting  up  water  to  a great  height,  at  other 
times  favouring  us  with  a sight  of  as  much 
of  their  bodies  as  they  could  conveniently 
show  out  of  water.  Also  many  porpoises 
exerted  themselves,  as  if  to  add  to  our  en- 
tertainment, by  moving  like  wheels  in  the 
water,  at  other  times  leaping  up  and  plung- 
ing into  it  again.  All  this  went  forward  as 
if  to  amuse  us,  while  we  were  becalmed  and 
the  ship  lying  like  a log  in  the  water. 

May  4.  At  noon,  we  were  nearly  opposite 
to  Bordeaux,  but  far  out  at  sea. 

May  5.  A fair  wind  now,  driving  us  eight 
miles  an  hour,  and  the  vessel  seems  as  if  in 
a hurry  to  reach  England.  A large  ship, 
outward  bound,  passed  to  leeward:  the  situ- 
ation of  the  two  ships  was  very  different,  she 
being  in  the  morning  of  her  voyage,  and  we 
in  the  evening  of  ours;  some  on  board  of  her 
still  acutely  feeling  a late  separation  from 
friends  whom  they  may  see  no  more;  but  in 


266 


VOYAGE  FROM  THE 


our  ship,  all  were  pleased  with  the  prospect 
of  soon  joining  their  friends,  from  whom  they 
have  long  been  separated;  they  reflecting  on 
dangers  they  may  have  to  encounter,  we 
grateful  for  preservation  in  dangers  now 
past.  In  the  afternoon,  the  wind  increas- 
ing, our  speed  increased  to  ten  and  eleven 
miles  an  hour.  At  ten  at  night,  a heavy 
squall  blew  our  top-sail  to  pieces;  on  which 
sailors,  from  different  parts  of  the  ship,  called 
out,  “ The  fore  top-sail  is  gone!”  I admired 
the  proper  coolness  of  the  captain  on  the  oc- 
casion, who  laconically  answered,  “ Well, 
take  it  in.” 

May  6.  At  noon,  it  was  found  we  had 
sailed,  during  the  last  twenty-four  hours, 
upwards  of  two  hundred  miles.  On  finding 
we  had  so  favourable  a run,  the  captain, 
looking  at  me,  said,  “ Positively  there  is  a 
possibility  that  you  may  get  to  London  to 
that  meeting,  after  all;”  meaning  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  London  Missionary  Society. 

May  7.  At  two  o’clock,  I was  called  to 
the  deck  by  the  captain,  who  desired  me  to 
look  to  a small  sail  in  the  south.  I was 
some  time  before  I could  distinguish  it,  in 
consequence  of  the  sea  running  rather  high. 
“ That  is  a pilot  boat  from  England!”  said 
he:  “ what  has  brought  her  so  far  out  to  sea, 
I cannot  tell;  probably  she  is  looking  out  for 
Indiamen;  but,  could  you  get  on  board  her, 
she  might  be  able  to  land  you  in  Portsmouth 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE  TO  ENGLAND.  267 

to-night.”  I objected  to  the  expense.  How- 
ever, the  captain  soon  found  two  gentlemen 
willing  to  bear  more  than  their  proportion  of 
it,  who  also  were  anxious  to  get  on  shore. 

A signal  was  immediately  made  to  the 
pilot  boat  to  come  to  us.  On  reaching  near 
us,  our  captain,  through  his  speaking-trum- 
pet, offered  the  pilot  the  sum  we  had  pro- 
posed, if  he  would  take  three  persons  to 
Portsmouth;  which  he  refused,  and  sailed 
off:  on  which  our  captain  bid  him  good  day, 
and  coolly  hung  up  his  trumpet,  saying,  “ De- 
pend upon  it,  he  will  accept  the  offer.”  Be- 
fore he  had  left  us  a mile,  he  turned  about, 
came  again  near  us,  and  called  out,  “ I’ll 
take  it;”  meaning  what  had  been  offered. 

The  master  of  the  pilot  boat,  like  our- 
selves, was  ignorant  how  far  we  were  from 
England,  from  the  haziness  of  the  weather 
for  some  days,  but  supposed  we  might  be 
about  a hundred  miles.  Owing  to  a swell, 
the  pilot  boat  could  not  approach  near 
enough  to  take  us  on  board.  The  captain, 
therefore,  ordered  down  his  own  boat,  into 
which  we  got  as  well  as  the  waves  would 
permit.  On  our  departure,  the  captain  as- 
sured us  the  ship  should  not  leave  us  till  we 
were  safe  into  the  other  vessel.  On  advanc- 
ing near  it,  there  at  first  appeared  no  possi- 
bility of  venturing  near  enough,  without 
great  danger  of  being  sunk  by  a stroke  from 
her,  our  boat  being  small.  A consultation 


268 


VOYAGE  FROM  THE 


was  held  for  some  time,  without  being  able 
to  devise  any  method.  At  length,  the  mas- 
ter proposed  that  one  of  us  should  stand  in 
the  bow,  or  front  of  our  skiff,  and,  on  com- 
ing within  two  feet  of  him,  to  take  a leap ; 
when  he  assured  us  he  should  catch  hold  of 
his  coat,  and  pull  him  in.  As  I was  the  pro- 
poser of  going  on  shore,  I thought  I should 
make  the  first  attempt  to  get  into  the  boat  in 
this  rather  awkward  way,  in  which  attempt 
I succeeded,  without  being  drenched  by  the 
waves.  The  others  also  getting  in  safely, 
the  Castle  Forbes  bid  us  adieu,  and  we 
sailed  off. 

Though  our  new  conductors  did  not  know 
their  distance  from  Portsmouth,  they  hoped 
to  be  able  to  land  us  there  before  midnight. 
The  wind  being  fair  and  strong,  we  went 
forward  at  the  rate  of  about  eight  miles  an 
hour.  Daylight  went  away  without  our 
seeing  land;  yet  we  continued  often  look- 
ing in  the  direction  of  England,  in  hopes  of 
discovering  some  of  the  lights  on  shore,  but 
midnight  came  without  our  seeing  any. 

May  8.  About  two  o’clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, so  thick  a fog  arose  that  nothing  could 
be  seen.  At  three  o’clock,  the  master  judged 
it  prudent  not  to  proceed  further  till  daylight, 
lest  we  should  come  against  some  land  in  the 
dark;  wherefore  we  hove  to,  the  sea  dash- 
ing over  our  deck.  When  the  longed-for 
morning  arrived,  we  pressed  forward  again 


CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE  TO  ENGLAND.  269 

with  our  former  rapidity,  but,  owing  to  the 
denseness  of  the  fog,  we  could  only  see  a 
little  way  before  us.  About  six  a.  m.,  the 
fog  began  to  rise  above  the  water,  and  under 
it  we  had  the  satisfaction  to  obtain  a sight 
of  the  west  end  of  the  Isle  of  Wight.  In  an 
hour  we  commenced  sailing  alongside  the 
island.  The  greenness  of  the  grass  and  of 
the  bushes  near  the  beach  was  very  beauti- 
ful, and  the  sight  delighted  us  much,  which 
was  not  surprising,  considering  that,  for  a 
quarter  of  a year,  we  had  been  almost  con- 
stantly viewing  the  dull  blue  of  the  heavens 
and  the  water.  Through  a glass  we  were 
happy  to  be  able  to  distinguish  many  of  the 
yellow  and  white  field  flowers,  which  great- 
ly added  to  our  enjoyment  of  the  scene.  The 
fog  also  clearing  up  on  our  left,  permitted  us 
once  more  to  view  Old  England,  which  was 
a delightful  sight  to  us  all. 

At  eight  o’clock,  we  reached  the  harbour 
of  Portsmouth,  when,  after  our  persons  were 
examined,  and  our  portmanteaus  sent  to  the 
custom  house,  we  breakfasted  in  an  inn, 
Avhich  stood  on  the  beach  looking  into  the 
harbour,  and  no  breakfast  was  ever  better 
relished;  for  we  had  forgotten  to  take  a sin- 
gle article  of  food  with  us  from  the  ship,  in 
consequence  of  the  attention  of  all  being  di- 
rected to  the  difficulty  of  getting  out  of  the 
ship  and  into  the  pilot  boat. 

Not  being  able  to  get  my  portmanteau 
soon  enough  through  the  custom  house,  1 
24 


270 


VOYAGE  FROM  THE 


lost  a place  in  the  morning  coaches  for  Lon- 
don; consequently,  was  obliged  to  wait  until 
the  evening.  However,  I spent  the  day  very 
agreeably  at  Mr.  Eastman’s,  of  Portsea,  who 
kindly  furnished  me  with  money  to  pay  my 
way;  a sufficient  quantity  of  which  article  I 
had  not  brought  from  the  Cape,  as  I expect- 
ed to  have  landed  in  London. 

I left  Portsmouth  at  seven  o’clock  in  the 
evening,  and  reached  London  by  seven  next 
morning,  Wednesday,  May  9.  The  first  three 
families  on  whom  I called  for  admission,  had 
removed  from  the  residences  in  which  they 
were  when  I left  them  in  1818;  but  happily 
I found  the  fourth,  namely,  Mr.  Houston,  of 
Little  St.  Helen’s,  residing  where  I left  him, 
who  gave  me  a hearty  welcome. 

Thus,  after  all  the  obstructions  I had  met 
with,  Providence  permitted  me  to  arrive  in 
time  for  the  annual  meetings  of  that  society 
for  whose  interests  I had  undertaken  the 
journey ; for  the  first  of  the  meetings  was  not 
to  commence  till  ten  o’clock  that  morning ; 
but  the  meeting  for  business  not  being  to  be 
held  till  the  next  day,  and  having  had  no 
sleep  for  two  nights,  I did  not  attend  it,  but 
wrote  to  the  Rev.  George  Burder,  the  secre- 
tary, informing  him  of  my  arrival.  I then 
went  home  to  Kingsland,  in  order  to  be  re- 
freshed by  a good  sleep  before  the  next 
day’s  meeting,  where  I arrived  almost  ex- 
actly two  years  and  a half  after  setting  out, 
without,  I think,  ten  minutes’  sickness,  either 


CAPE  OP  GOOD  HOPE  TO  ENGLAND.  271 

by  sea  or  land,  during  the  whole  journey, 
for  which  I cannot  be  sufficiently  thankful  to 
the  God  of  providence  and  grace. 

The  Castle  Forbes,  which  I left  at  sea,  did 
not  reach  London  till  about  a fortnight  after 
my  arrival. 


THE  END. 


